Can BJP wrest Milkipur to reverse Faizabad setback?
Voting on Feb 5, result to be announced on Feb 8; bypoll likely to witness an interesting contest as the BJP will try to wrest the seat from the SP
LUCKNOW The stage is set for a direct contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party after the Election Commission on India (ECI) on Tuesday announced the schedule for the Assembly bypoll to Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur. The constituency will be voting on February 5 and the result will be announced on February 8.
Milkipur made headlines after sitting Samajwadi Party MLA Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP candidate Lallu Singh from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP had hoped to retain the seat, riding on the much hyped consecration ceremony of Ramlalla at Ram Janmabhoomi temple, but the defeat turned out to be major setback for the party.
After the defeat in the by-elections to nine assembly seats in UP in November, BSP chief Mayawati had announced that her party will not contest the bypoll.
The bypoll is likely to witness an interesting contest as the BJP will try to wrest the seat from the SP. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, along with a battery of ministers and MLAs, is leading the poll campaign.
The BJP had won the seat twice - in 1991 during the Ram wave, and in 2017 - when it swept the UP assembly election during the Modi wave. Ticket aspirants are meeting party leaders in Lucknow and Delhi, but the saffron party is yet to finalise its candidate.
The SP has mobilised its cadre to retain the Milkipur seat and has already announced to field Ajeet Prasad, son of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, from the constituency. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is monitoring the election campaign.
The filing of the nomination papers for the bypoll will commence on January 10. The last date of filing papers is January 17 and January 20 is the last date for withdrawal. Scrutiny of nominations will be done on January 18.
