Ayodhya (UP), Feb 5 (PTI) – Voting for the bypoll in Milkipur Assembly constituency, located in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya district, began on Wednesday morning. The bypoll has drawn significant attention, with 10 candidates vying for the seat, but the primary battle is expected to be between the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Ajit Prasad and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Chandrabhanu Paswan.
Milkipur is a Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved constituency, and its 3,70,829 voters will decide the outcome of the election. The bypoll has gained added significance following the unexpected win of SP's Awadhesh Prasad in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the neighboring Faizabad seat, coming just months after the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. This has heightened the stakes for both parties.
Polling commenced at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm, as confirmed by election officials. The constituency is served by 255 polling centers and 414 polling stations, with enhanced security and surveillance measures in place to ensure a smooth process. Webcasting will be conducted at 210 polling stations, and videography will be carried out at 25 stations. Additionally, micro-observers have been deployed at 71 polling centers, along with nine flying squads, nine static surveillance teams, six video surveillance teams, two super zonal magistrates, four zonal magistrates, and 41 sector magistrates. The election is being held with support from civil police, PAC, and paramilitary forces.
Out of the registered voters, over 1.93 lakh are male, 1.78 lakh are female, and eight individuals identify as third-gender. The electorate also includes 4,811 first-time voters.
While the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has opted not to contest this bypoll, the Congress has extended its support to the SP candidate as part of their alliance. The Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has fielded its own candidate as well.
This bypoll was triggered by the resignation of SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who vacated the Milkipur seat after winning the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in 2024. For the SP, this election is crucial to retain the seat, while the BJP views it as an opportunity to recover from its loss in the 2022 UP Assembly elections. Milkipur was the only constituency in Ayodhya district that the BJP lost in the previous elections.
Both parties have sent high-profile leaders to campaign. The BJP brought in top leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. On the other hand, the SP dispatched Dimple Yadav, the party's MP from Mainpuri and wife of SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, for a roadshow in Milkipur.
The outcome of this bypoll is set to have significant political implications, especially in the context of the upcoming state and national elections.
Milkipur is a Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved constituency, and its 3,70,829 voters will decide the outcome of the election. The bypoll has gained added significance following the unexpected win of SP's Awadhesh Prasad in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the neighboring Faizabad seat, coming just months after the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. This has heightened the stakes for both parties.
Polling commenced at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm, as confirmed by election officials. The constituency is served by 255 polling centers and 414 polling stations, with enhanced security and surveillance measures in place to ensure a smooth process. Webcasting will be conducted at 210 polling stations, and videography will be carried out at 25 stations. Additionally, micro-observers have been deployed at 71 polling centers, along with nine flying squads, nine static surveillance teams, six video surveillance teams, two super zonal magistrates, four zonal magistrates, and 41 sector magistrates. The election is being held with support from civil police, PAC, and paramilitary forces.
Out of the registered voters, over 1.93 lakh are male, 1.78 lakh are female, and eight individuals identify as third-gender. The electorate also includes 4,811 first-time voters.
While the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has opted not to contest this bypoll, the Congress has extended its support to the SP candidate as part of their alliance. The Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has fielded its own candidate as well.
This bypoll was triggered by the resignation of SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who vacated the Milkipur seat after winning the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in 2024. For the SP, this election is crucial to retain the seat, while the BJP views it as an opportunity to recover from its loss in the 2022 UP Assembly elections. Milkipur was the only constituency in Ayodhya district that the BJP lost in the previous elections.
Both parties have sent high-profile leaders to campaign. The BJP brought in top leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. On the other hand, the SP dispatched Dimple Yadav, the party's MP from Mainpuri and wife of SP leader Akhilesh Yadav, for a roadshow in Milkipur.
The outcome of this bypoll is set to have significant political implications, especially in the context of the upcoming state and national elections.
