And the reason, some of them said, is that they too are now divided along caste lines. For one thing, many of them are Bhumihars from Bihar, staunch BJP supporters. The Brahmins are divided among themselves; the Yadavs and Thakurs have their own caste equations.

Meghnath Das and Ram Kripal Das of Hanuman Garhi temple, who arrived in a pair to vote, confirmed the absence of unanimity among sadhus, their priorities having shifted in various directions from the original, unanimous call for a Ram temple at the disputed site. “We need good ghats on the banks of the Saryu, clean roads and other facilities to attract visitors,” Ram Kripal said. He hails from Begusarai; Meghnath estimates 70 per cent of Ayodhya’s sadhus are from Bihar.

Ram Roshan Das, who arrived riding pillion on a motorcycle, said it is a good sign that sadhus are making independent choices rather than being swept along a wave.

Ramashraya Dasji, 95, mahant of Chauburjee temple, disclosed readily that he had voted for the elephant, having known BSP candidate Ved Gupta personally for a long time.

Another sadhu said the Brahmins are divided between BJP’s Lallu Singh and the SP’s Pawan Pandey, who also enjoys the support of the Yadavs. “The Thakurs are divided between the Congress’s Rajendra Singh and Lallu Singh,” the sadhu said.

Ramkot has major religious sites, including the disputed one besides Hanuman Garhi and Kanak Bhavan temples, Asharafi Bhavan, Soot Hatiya and Dashrathji Mahal. The area used to be a BJP stronghold.

Muslim voters did not turn out aggressively in groups either. “I went to the booth, looked at the candidate list and then selected one for my vote,” Mukhtar Ahmad said at another polling centre. “This is the first time this has happened with me in two decades.”