The stage is set for polling for the by-election to the Milkipur assembly seat on Wednesday, marking the final phase of a prestige battle between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP. Voting will commence at 7 am. The Milkipur assembly seat is one of the segments of the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, located in the Ayodhya district.
This by-election in Milkipur is expected to see a closely contested battle of prestige between the SP and BJP.
For the BJP, the stakes are particularly high due to its loss in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat just a year ago, especially following the opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The BJP is now running a vigorous campaign, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, to reclaim lost ground, making this contest a significant face-off between CM Yogi Adityanath and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
A key factor in this election is the absence of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), with Dalit voters, who constitute a sizable chunk of around 1.25 lakh voters, playing a crucial role.
Which party secures these votes could determine the winner. Additionally, both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP have Scheduled Caste candidates contesting, intensifying the competition.
The SP will rely heavily on its base of 50,000 to 55,000 Yadav voters, along with around 22,000 Muslim voters and approximately 30,000 OBC voters. The campaigning has been intense.
Awadesh Prasad, the SP MP and father of the SP candidate, went as far as breaking down during a press conference while demanding justice for a gang-rape victim, stating that he would raise the issue in Parliament.
The BJP has criticised him, pointing out that an SP leader’s name had surfaced as a key suspect in the case. However, the police have arrested three people and stated that there were no political connections to the incident.
Both Yogi and Akhilesh have campaigned in Milkipur. Yogi accused Yadav of criticising the Maha Kumbh and labelled his party a haven for criminals and anti-social elements. Yogi also criticised the SP for opposing Ayodhya’s development, while the BJP’s state chief mocked Akhilesh for never having visited Ayodhya.
In turn, Akhilesh ridiculed Yogi, accusing him of being a saint only in appearance, not in action.
Historically, the BJP has faced challenges in Milkipur. Between 1977 and 2022, the party has only won the seat twice. However, with the BSP not contesting and a locally well-liked candidate on offer, the BJP is optimistic about securing the seat.
Given the BJP’s track record in Uttar Pradesh since 2014, the party is relying on its Hindutva plank, along with welfare schemes, to appeal to voters.
The BJP aims to counter the Samajwadi Party’s focus on the Pichhda-Dalit-Alpsankhyak (PDA) vote bank with its inclusive politics.
“Though it did not yield results in the June 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP’s strategy of relying on ‘Shasan (governance), Bhashan (election speeches by CM), and Rashan (free food grains)’ is likely to favour the party’s prospects in the Milkipur by-polls,” said a political analyst.