Arunachal Deputy CM to chief of UP Special Task Force, Brij Bhushan’s MP-son to politicians across party lines: rush to ride Ayodhya boom

4. UP Home Dept Secretary Sanjeev Gupta (IPS): His wife Dr Chetna Gupta bought 253 sq m of residential land at Banveerpur (Ayodhya), 14 km from the temple, for Rs 35.92 lakh on August 5, 2022. “She has sold it now,” Sanjeev Gupta said.

5. UP Education Dept Joint Director Arvind Kumar Pandey: He and his wife Mamta bought 1,051 sq m “residential” land in Shahnawaz Pur Majha (Ayodhya), 7 km from the temple, for Rs 64.57 lakh between June and August 2023. Pandey is under suspension, facing corruption charges. His wife Mamta is a BJP leader in Basti, and managing director of The Ramayana, a hotel that opened in 2022 in Ayodhya. “The land is adjacent to the hotel and was bought for expansion,” Arvind Pandey said.

The Hotel Ramayana near Ayodhya. (Express Photo by Shyamlal Yadav)

6. Railways Deputy Chief Engineer Mahabal Prasad: His son Anshul bought 0.304 hectares of “agriculture” land jointly with another individual in November 2023 in Shahnawaz Pur Majha, 7 km from the temple, for Rs 24 lakh. “It is an underdeveloped area, nothing has been planned yet,” Prasad said.

7. Additional SP (Aligarh) Palash Bansal (IPS): His father Deshraj Bansal, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, bought 1781.03 sq m “residential” land in Rajepur Uparhar (Ayodhya), 15 km from the temple, jointly with Ishwar Bansal of Delhi in April 2021 for Rs 67.68 lakh. Ishwar Bansal had contested the municipal polls in Delhi in 2012 and Assembly polls in 2013 – both for Congress. Palash Bansal was posted in Ayodhya till May 26, 2022. “I have least interest in it (the land). He (his father) did it with some distant relative,” Palash said.

8. SP (Amethi) Anoop Kumar Singh (IPS): His in-laws Shailendra Singh and Manju Singh jointly bought 4 hectares of “agriculture land” in Durgaganj (Gonda), 9 km from the temple, on September 21, 2023, for Rs 20 lakh. “I have nothing to do with this (land purchase),” Anoop Singh said.

9. UP’s former DGP Yashpal Singh (IPS retired): He bought 0.427 hectares of “agriculture” land and 132.7137 sq m of “residential” land in Banveerpur (Ayodhya), 14 km from the temple, between December 2020 and September 2023 for Rs 73 lakh. His wife Geeta Singh is the former SP MLA of Balrampur. “We had land there, the new purchases are small plots,” he said.

10. Principal Chief Personnel Officer (North Central Railway) Anurag Tripathi: He was CBSE Secretary from 2017 to 2023. His father Madan Mohan Tripathi bought 1.57 hectares of “agriculture” land and 640 sq m of “residential” land in Kotsarai (Ayodhya), 15 km from the temple, for Rs 2.33 crore. On March 15, 2023, Madan Mohan Tripathi signed an agreement to transfer 1.2324 hectares to Vidya Gurukulam Educational Trust, of which he is Secretary, for Rs 3.98 crore. “I am going to open a school (on the land),” said Madan Mohan Tripathi, who also sold 0.343 hectare separately to another institution.

11. Haryana Yog Aayog chairman Jaydeep Arya: He bought 3.035 hectares along with four others in Majha Jamthara (Ayodhya), 6 km from the temple, on July 12, 2023, for Rs 32 lakh. Arya is a former associate of Baba Ramdev and the Yog Aayog was set up by the Haryana government. One of the four other buyers is Rakesh Mittal who is with Ramdev’s Bharat Swabhiman Trust. “We bought the land to help the seller who was in a bad economic condition,” Arya said.

12. UP MLA Ajay Singh (BJP): His brother Krishna Kumar Singh and nephew Sidharth bought 0.455 hectares of “agriculture” land in Maheshpur (Gonda), 8 km from the temple, in 2023 for Rs 47 lakh. The land was bought in the name of Park View Flats Pvt Ltd, of which Sidharth is a director. Ajay Singh, MLA from Harraiya in Basti, said, “I am not associated with Park View Flats.”

13. Gosaiganj Nagar Panchayat chairperson Vijay Laxmi Jaiswal (BJP): His relative Madan Jaiswal, a resident of Ayodhya, bought 8.71 hectares of “agriculture” land for Rs 1.3 crore with other family members in four villages — Barahta Majha, Shahnawaz Pur Majha, Sarairasi Majha and Rampur Halwara Majha, 7-12 km from the temple. This includes one parcel of 3.38 hectares bought jointly with Rakesh Jaiswal, a Basti resident, for Rs 8 lakh. Among the largest deals, Madan and his two children also took over 46.67 hectares under agreements in Barahta Majha, Shahnawaz Pur Majha and Tihura Majha between September 2020 and November 2023 for Rs 67 lakh. Vijay Laxmi Jaiswal said, “Madan has his own business, I have nothing to do with it.” Madan said, “I bought these land parcels with a group, we are yet to decide what to do on it.”

14. Amethi District Panchayat chairperson Rajesh Agrahari (BJP): His firm Agrahari Masala Udyog bought 0.79 hectares of “agriculture” land in Kudha Keshavpur Uparhar (Ayodhya), 10 km from the temple, on June 19, 2023 for Rs 8.35 crore. “I will use the land to accommodate pilgrims,” he said.

15. BSP ex-MLA Jitendra Kumar “Bablu Bhaiya”: His brother Vinod Singh bought 0.272 hectares and 370 sq m in Kotsarai (Ayodhya) and Maheshpur (Gonda), 8-15 km from the temple. On behalf of Urmila Law College, which he owns, Vinod and his wife Sunita took over 11,970 sq m from Urmila Grameen Shikshan Sansthan. The total purchase value was Rs 35.59 lakh, of which one parcel of 1,560 sq m was listed as “donation” to Vinod and Sunita. “We brothers operate separately. I have not bought any land there,” Kumar said.

16. BJP ex-MLA Chandra Prakash Shukla: Time City Multi-state Cooperative Housing Society, in which he is a stakeholder according to a 2017 assembly poll affidavit, bought 1.34 hectares of “agriculture land” and 1,985.6 sq m “residential” land in Majha Jamthara, 6 km from the temple, between June 2020 and December 2023 for Rs 1.12 crore. “I resigned from Time City in 2017 and am not directly involved in its affairs,” Shukla said.

17. SP ex-MLC Rakesh Rana: His son Rishabh bought 0.42 hectares in Durgaganj (Gonda), 9 km from the temple, in April 2023 for Rs 25 lakh. After his MLC stint, Rana was sacked from the party on charges of indiscipline. “It’s a small plot, we have not planned anything yet,” Rana said.

18. BSP ex-MLC Shyam Narayan Singh alias Vineet Singh (now with BJP): His daughter Pramila Singh bought 2,693.08 sq m of “residential” land in Sarairasi Majha (Ayodhya), 12 km from the temple, for Rs 80 lakh in September 2023. Singh did not respond to a request for comment.

Ongoing levelling work for road near HOABL in Tihura Manjha. (Express Photo by Shyamlal Yadav)

It’s not just politicians and top officials, but corporates and trusts from across the country have also been lining up to tap the real estate boom in Ayodhya.

From the Adani Group to The House of Abhinandan Lodha (HOABL), from housing to hospitality, from Karnataka to Delhi, there has been a steady stream of big-ticket buyers who have flocked to Ayodhya following the Supreme Court verdict that paved the way for the temple to be built, land records investigated by The Indian Express show.

Several have incorporated separate subsidiaries to handle the real estate portfolio while others have purchased land in their own names before setting up companies to handle the acquisition, the records show. Most of them told The Indian Express that they plan to build hotels or residential projects on the land purchased.

According to records, the companies and trusts that purchased land worth more than Rs 1 crore in and around Ayodhya over the last five years include:

From Adanis to Lodhas

1. HOABL (Mumbai), Rs 105 cr approx: Records show that between June 2023 and March 2024, real estate major HOABL bought 17.73 hectares of “agriculture” land and 12,693 sq m of “residential” land in Tihura Majha, nearly 12 km from the temple, on the banks of the Sarayu where the embankment is being upgraded to a four-lane road. This includes 217 sq m listed on a sale agreement. The total purchase adds up to Rs 74.15 crore. The firm later bought 7.54 hectares more in the same village for around Rs 31.24 crore.

HOABL is owned by Abhinandan Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the son of Maharashtra Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and grandson of the late Gumanmal Lodha, the former Gauhati High Court chief justice and BJP MP who was at the forefront of the Ram temple movement in the late 1980s.

Land belonging to HOABL at Tihura Manjha. (Express Photo by Shyamlal Yadav)

HOABL CEO Samujjwal Ghosh said, “With a track record spanning over five years, we have established a presence across several states like Maharashtra and Goa, with our recent expansion into Ayodhyaji marking a significant milestone. Our expansion strategy is intricately aligned with the ongoing infrastructure development initiatives by both state and central governments, with a particular emphasis on cultural and tourist destinations.”

2. Adani Group (Ahmedabad), Rs 3.55 cr: On September 18 last year, the company incorporated a subsidiary called Homequest Infraspace which bought over 1.4 hectares of “agriculture” land in Majha Jamthara, about 6 km from the temple complex, between November and December. The total worth of the purchase: Rs 3.55 crore. A spokesperson said that the transaction “was conducted in accordance with all laws and regulations. The company has acquired the land from a private party for future development”.

3. Vyakti Vikas Kendra (Karnataka), Rs 9.03 cr: The Bengaluru-based entity bought over 5.31 hectares of “agriculture” land in Majha Jamthara, nearly 6 km from the temple, on February 7, 2022, from Dayanand Pathak (M/s VPDP) of Prayagraj and Abdul Salam (Ayodhya). Records show the land was originally taken on agreement on October 21, 2021 for just Rs 1.26 crore. This agreement was extended on February 4, 2022, three days before the sale to VVK. The kendra describes itself as a “registered public charitable trust under the aegis of The Art of Living” of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It did not respond to a request for comment.

4. Galgotia Hotel and Resorts (Delhi), Rs 7.57 cr: On the company’s behalf, its director Dhruv Galgotia bought 3432.32 sq m of “residential” land in Maheshpur (Gonda), nearly 8 km from the temple, in December 2023. Apart from hotels, the group also runs educational institutions, a real estate business, a publication and hospitals. “We are going to build a hospital and a hotel,” said a company spokesperson.

5. The Innovators Digital Ads (UP), Rs 29 cr: The Prayagraj firm is owned by Mayank Jaiswal, who is the grandson of socialist leader, the late Saligram Jaiswal. It bought 29,030 sq m “residential” land in Banvirpur, nearly 14 km from the temple, between April and August 2023, spending Rs 29 crore. The company was incorporated in 2005 for “printing of banners, ads, digital ads” and “advertising and publicity” before subsequently branching out to real estate”. “We have already started building a five-star hotel there,” Jaiswal said.

6. Sawarthia Developers (Karnataka), Rs 26.64 cr: The company and its directors Jagdish Sawarthia (Bengaluru) and Rajendra Agrawal (Jaipur) bought 12.82 hectares of “agriculture”, 1,100 sq m “residential” and 3,638.75 sq m of “industrial” land in Shahnawajpur Majha (Ayodhya), and Ibrahimpur and Maheshpur (Gonda), 7-9 km from the temple, between December 2020 and August 2023. Most of the purchase was on behalf of the company and its directors and 3,638.7 sq m “industrial” land for the family’s Surajmal Lakshmidevi Sawarthia Charitable Trust.

“We are running a dharamshala project in Shahnawazpur, and hope to bring villa schemes in Maheshpur and Ibrahimpur villages across the Sarayu,” Sawarthia said.

7. Ramakulam Regency LLP (UP), Rs 7.30 cr: The firm and its owners Jitendra Nigam and his wife Kalpana bought over 5.0553 hectares of “agriculture” land in Majha Barahta and Majha Jamthara and 2,530 sq m “residential” land in Kudha Keshavpur, all 6-10 km from the temple, between October 2020 and March 2023 in their name and/or in the name of these firms. Nigam transferred the land in Kudha Keshavpur to his firm, Ramakulam Regency, in December 2023 for Rs 30,000. “We are building a hotel in Kudha Keshavpur. We also have a poultry farm. The land in Majha Barahta has been acquired by the state government,” Nigam said.

8. Sri Ramajayam Aspire (UP) Rs 5.60 cr: On behalf of the company, Abhishek Bansal and Geeta Katyal of Noida bought 1.48 hectares of “agriculture” and 3,726.9 sq m “residential” land in Haripur Jalalabad, nearly 16 km from the temple, between August 2023 and January 2024. The entity does not feature in records maintained by the Registrar of Companies, and its directors could not be reached for comment. Bansal did not respond to a request for comment.

Office of the sub-registrar in Ayodhya. (Express Photo by Shyamlal Yadav)

9. Triveni Trust (NCR), Rs 5.91 cr: The trust, which is based in Gurugram and Sainik Farms, and belongs to Dhanuka Agritech, bought 2.1 hectares of “agriculture” land in Durgaganj (Gonda), nearly 9 km from the temple, in May 2023 for Rs 5.91 crore against a declared circle rate value of Rs 2.73 crore. The trust is listed as an investment vehicle under Dhanuka Agritech. It did not respond to a request for comment.

10. ABMM Maheshwari Foundation (Maharashtra): The Nagpur-based entity, run by businessman Shyam Sunder Madanlal Soni, was incorporated in December 2017 as a “not for profit”. It bought 0.344 hectares of “agriculture” land in Maheshpur (Gonda), nearly 8 km from the temple, in April 2023. Besides, Soni, who runs two other firms, bought 0.061 hectares in the same village in his name in July 2023 for Rs 71.50 lakh. “All land is for the trust, nothing is for any individual. We are going to build a building for our samaj,” Soni said.

👉 Follow The Indian Express‘s full coverage on the Ayodhya land deals

11. Bhardwaj Global Infraventures (UP): Incorporated in 2018, the Lucknow-based firm run by four brothers bought 0.97 hectares of “agriculture” land and 8,742.32 sq m of “residential” land in Lolpur Ehtmali (Gonda), nearly 13 km from the temple, between December 2022 and February 2023. “We have signed an agreement with a leading group for their two hotel brands, which we will build. We will complete both projects by 2027,” said Ramendra Pratap Singh, one of the company’s directors.

12. Awadhcity Developers (UP): The company bought 2.76 hectares and 810 sq m in Lolpur Ehtmali and Ibrahimpur (Gonda), nearly 13 km from the temple, between December 2021 and September 2023. Of these, 1.011 hectares were bought from Mandir Ram Janki Sarvarakar, the caretaker of a temple, on September 14, 2023 for Rs 1.15 crore. Eleven days later, the developers sold the land for Rs 1.30 crore. The firm was incorporated in April 2022 and prior purchases were in the name of its directors. It did not respond to a request for comment.

13. Jakhodia Mineral Pvt Ltd (Chhattisgarh): Its director Jai Kishan Jakhodia is an industrialist based in Raipur who runs companies in the Chhattisgarh capital and Rourkela in Odisha. Between March 2022 and October 2023, he bought 4.55 hectares of “agriculture” land in Majha Jamthara, 6 km from the temple, for Rs 2.68 crore. Jakhodia declined to comment on these purchases.

14. Awadh Enterprises (UP): One of the owners of the firm is Ramakant Pandey, a BJP mandal vice-president in Ayodhya. The company bought 1.83 hectares from Maharshi Ramayana Vidyapeeth Trust in Barahta Majha, nearly 7 km from the temple, in 2022. “Most of this land has been acquired by the state government. I bought the land at market rate from the trust and was paid at a circle rate which has not been revised for several years,” Pandey said.

15. Ayodhya Sarayu Infra LLP (Telangana): Ayodhya Sarayu Infra either bought or took on agreement a total of 10.43 hectares for Rs 1.78 crore in Sarairasi Majha, Rampur Halwara Majha, Majha Jamthara (Ayodhya), and Lolpur Ehtmali and Durgaganj (Gonda), 9-13 km from the temple, between December 2021 and October 2023. The company was formed only on February 14, 2022 in Hyderabad. Prior purchases were in the name of Venugopal Mundada of Warangal in Telangana. RoC records show the company aims to engage in “business in the field of real estate”. The company did not respond to a request for comment.