Bypolls: BJP clinches Milkipur seat in UP; DMK bags Erode East
Winning Milkipur was a matter or prestige for BJP, especially after losing Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which falls under Ayodhya district, last year
Clinching a decisive victory for his party in a prestige battle with Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan on Saturday (February 8) won the Milkipur bypolls by a margin of 61,710 votes.
In Tamil Nadu's Erode (East) bypoll, DMK's VC Chandhirakumar trounced Seeman's Naam Tamilar Katchi's MK Seethalakshmi by a margin of 91,558 votes. In the process, NTK, a Tamil nationalist organisation, forfeited deposit.
Milkipur was the only seat that the BJP lost in Ayodhya district in the 2022 Assembly polls. It falls under the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which the BJP lost in the 2024 General Elections, months after the consecration of the Ram Temple.
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Paswan wins by 61,710 votes
According to Election Commission data, while Paswan polled over 1.46 lakh votes, his nearest rival Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad garnered 84,687 votes.
Earlier, Paswan, 38, took a decisive lead over SP's Prasad, 42, by over 61,000 votes after the 29th round of counting for the Milkipur assembly bypoll on Saturday, officials said.
They said after 29 rounds, BJP's Paswan had got 1,45,685 votes, while Prasad had polled 84,266 votes, a lead of 61,319 votes.
According to the official website of the Election Commission, after 28 rounds of counting, Paswan (with 1,39,507 votes) was leading Prasad (79,210 votes) by a margin of 60,297 votes.
Santosh Kumar of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has got 5,158 votes.
Also read: Akhilesh accuses BJP of rigging in Milkipur bypoll
SP’s loss
The Milkipur bypoll was necessitated after local MLA Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat following his Faizabad win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The SP fielded his son Ajit Prasad in the bypoll even as BJP opted for a party cadre Paswan, both from the Pasi community.
While the SP was anxious to retain the seat it won in 2022 UP polls, the BJP was anxious to avenge its Faizabad loss that had happened within five months of the high-profile consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya.
The BSP did not contest the bypoll while the Congress backed its alliance partner SP.
Will work for development of Milkipur: Paswan
Before the counting began, Paswan offered prayers at a temple.
Later as trends firmed, Paswan told PTI Videos that he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for their guidance and support. He also expressed his gratitude to voters.
Also read: Discussion: Why Milkipur by-election is crucial for Yogi Adityanath
"We took the welfare programmes and schemes of the double engine BJP government to the people of Milkipur and they supported us," Paswan said.
"We will not leave any stone unturned for the development of Milkipur," he said in anticipation of a likely win.
SP MP alleges ‘large-scale irregularities’
SP MP Awadhesh Prasad, who had earlier said he was confident of a win for his son, later accused the BJP government of misusing official machinery.
"Officials worked under pressure from the state government," he alleged.
Also read: Uttar Pradesh: Ayodhya at epicentre of Yogi’s by-poll battle
"The BJP has been involved in large-scale irregularities. The Election Commission and observers were informed about them in writing, but no action was taken," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
