Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) declared to have achieved an absolute victory in the Milkipur by-election. In this very high stakes political battle, Chandrabhan Paswan of BJP clinched a massive margin over 60,000 votes more than Ajit Prasad of SP after 30 rounds of counting in Milkipur.
Milkipur Becomes a Prestige Battle
The Ayodhya district was a strong political bastion and, hence, Milkipur is something of a prestige contest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party. After the defeat of BJP in the by-election last September in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, which includes Ayodhya, despite the grand inauguration of the Ram Temple, it further assumes importance.
BJP’s victory was welcomed by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who called it a trailer to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. He said, “Abhi jhaaki hai, poori picture abhi baaki hai.” (This is just a trailer, the whole picture will be revealed in 2027 when the Samajwadi Party will be reduced to nothing.)
Election History and High-Stakes Contest
A by-poll was necessitated hereafter SP leader Awadhesh Prasad won the Faizabad (Ayodhya) parliamentary seat in 2024, vacating the Milkipur assembly seat. To retain control over it, the SP fielded Ajit Prasad, son of SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, against BJP candidate Chandrabhan Paswan. Paswan is also a Pasi, hence the contest was as much about socially decisive votes.
BJP’s earlier candidate, Baba Gorakhnath, had contested the 2022 election from the seat and had filed a writ petition challenging Awadhesh Prasad’s win on the ground that his nomination documents were not valid. Legal proceedings had held up the by-election until Gorakhnath withdrew his petition. The ECI then fixed February 5 as the polling date.
Victory of Milkipur Strengthens BJP in UP
Victory at Milkipur reinforces the rising influence of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, more so in Ayodhya. After the shock defeat in Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, the party made a strong comeback in Milkipur, as if it were preparing to cement its position for the next assembly elections. BJP is looking at this landslide win to continue with its dominance over the politically significant state.