LUCKNOW: With the Election Commission of India (ECI) notifying the bypoll for the Milkipur assembly seat in the Faizabad parliamentary segment, the election assumes special significance for all stakeholders.
While the ruling BJP is striving to save face by winning Milkipur after losing the prestigious Faizabad Lok Sabha seat to the Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad, the SP is leaving no stone unturned to retain the seat it won in the 2022 Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to stay away from the bypoll, making it a direct contest between the BJP and the SP.
The voting for the Milkipur bypoll will take place alongside the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5.
Notably, in the recent by-elections to nine assembly seats vacated by MLAs after their election to the Lok Sabha, the BJP won seven seats, including wresting two—Kundarki and Katehari—from the SP. The SP managed to retain only Sisamau and Karhal.
In Milkipur, a seat under the watchful eye of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the ruling party has deployed at least half a dozen ministers to mobilize voters. By securing victory in Milkipur, the BJP aims to send a message that the people of Ayodhya remain firmly supportive of the party.
Key organisational functionaries, including Minister JPS Rathore and MLC Dharmendra Singh—credited with scripting the BJP's victory in Kundarki recently after three decades—have been stationed in Milkipur for some time.
Another team of leaders, including State Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Satish Sharma, Girish Yadav, and Mayankeshwar Singh, has also been tasked with ensuring victory in Milkipur. These teams are coordinating efforts with State Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, who is the designated minister in charge of the Ayodhya district.
The ministers have been holding small meetings with local groups, emphasizing that the BJP works for all sections of society without discrimination. Meanwhile, party cadres are conducting ground-level surveys to assess voter sentiment.
Additionally, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has visited Milkipur three times recently, addressing public meetings and launching development projects worth ₹1,000 crore for the assembly segment. He has also distributed appointment letters to 5,500 youth and handed out tablets and smartphones to 3,415 young people in Milkipur.
On the other hand, while the BJP is yet to announce its candidate, the SP has fielded Ajit Prasad, son of Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad. Campaigning for his son, Awadhesh Prasad has focused on issues related to Dr. BR Ambedkar, particularly in light of recent comments by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Rajya Sabha regarding Ambedkar and the Indian Constitution.
He has criticised the Union Home Minister for alleged "inappropriate" references to Dr. Ambedkar in his speech. Awadhesh Prasad is also organizing Loktantra and Samvidhan Bachao Jan Jagran rallies.
Although the BSP is absent from the electoral fray, the Azad Samaj Party, led by Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad, is entering the contest for this reserved seat. In a twist, Suraj Chaudhury, once a close confidante of Awadhesh Prasad, has rebelled against the father-son duo and is seeking a ticket from Chandrashekhar Azad's party.