Milkipur Bypoll: BJP Leads, SP alleges bogus voting

As per the Election Commission, BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan is ahead of his opponent from the Samajwadi Party, Ajit Prasad. There are still 25 rounds of vote counting remaining in the constituency.

The by-election in Milkipur became necessary after Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat following his victory in the Lok Sabha election from Faizabad (Ayodhya) last year. The election, which took place on February 5, saw a voter turnout of 57.13 percent in the constituency.

Extensive security measures have been implemented in the constituency on the counting day. Ayodhya District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh stated that security was thorough and paramilitary forces had been stationed. The by-election in the constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes is vital for both parties.

In the 2022 assembly elections, SP's Awadhesh Prasad triumphed over BJP's incumbent MLA Gorakhnath in Milkipur. Prasad secured victory against BJP's Lallu Singh with a margin of 54,567 votes. This was a major setback for the BJP, happening only a few months after the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Akhilesh Yadav, the SP leader, alleged that the BJP called in its party members from nearby districts to participate in fraudulent voting during the Milkipur by-election. Referring to the Milkipur by-election, he said, "I urged everyone to witness how democracy operates in the BJP-ruled state."

The BJP has summoned its party members from nearby districts such as Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur, and Amethi for fraudulent voting. However, Ayodhya police refuted Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav's claims, stating that only the identity cards of booth agents, not voters, were being checked. They also advised against making false accusations.