India News | Milkipur Bypoll: Yogi Leads BJP's Charge to Avenge Ayodhya Loss, SP Determined to Retain Seat
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The ruling BJP has deployed a battery of leaders under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's command to campaign in the Milkipur Assembly segment, which is a part of the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency in Ayodhya district, to avenge its shock defeat to the Samajwadi Party in last year's general election.
Ayodhya (UP), Jan 8 (PTI) The ruling BJP has deployed a battery of leaders under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's command to campaign in the Milkipur Assembly segment, which is a part of the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency in Ayodhya district, to avenge its shock defeat to the Samajwadi Party in last year's general election.
The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP on the other hand has asserted that it would emerge victorious in the prestigious battle.
The Election Commission on Tuesday declared that the bypoll in Milkipur would be held on February 5 and the votes would be counted on February 10. Before this, bypolls to nine seats were held in November 2024 with the BJP and its ally RLD winning seven of them, while the SP managed victory on two.
The SP's emphatic victory in Faizabad in Ayodhya -- months after the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in the holy town -- was a setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a district historically aligned with its Hindutva agenda.
The Milkipur seat fell vacant after SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who won it in 2022, vacated it following his Lok Sabha win.
BJP, facing the challenge of redeeming itself, has called in top leaders to lead the campaign with Adityanath fronting the battle.
BJP spokesperson in Ayodhya, Rajneesh Singh, told PTI, "This by-election of Milkipur will be a battle to take revenge for the defeat of the Faizabad Lok Sabha. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself is managing the election, so there is no chance that we will lose."
On the other hand, the SP remains resolute in the fierce battle.
Parasnath Yadav, the SP's district president in Ayodhya, stated, "It is true that we are contesting against the government. The whole government system has been roped in by the BJP to win this by-election. But the people of Milkipur are with us. We will fight hard to the last extent and will definitely win this seat."
Congress' state unit chief Ajay Rai expressed confidence in its alliance with the SP, reaffirming its support to the Akhilesh Yadav-led party.
"We are standing with the SP with strength. Just like we stood with them in the last UP elections, we will remain in the alliance and ensure victory in the Milkipur elections," Rai told PTI.
BJP sources said Adityanath has assigned six ministers to oversee the party's campaign in Milkipur, led by Surya Pratap Shahi, who is also the district in-charge, and supported by Water Resources Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Cooperative State Minister JPS Rathore, AYUSH Minister Dayashankar Singh, State Minister Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, and Satish Sharma.
Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak will also actively campaign, emphasising the seat's importance to the BJP's prestige.
During the 2022 Assembly election and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, SP's Awadhesh Prasad made the stray cattle menace a central issue and successfully leveraged the problem to win public support.
Stray cattle caused widespread crop damage and injuries to residents, leading to farmer unrest, which many attributed as a factor in the BJP's defeat.
The bypoll was delayed due to a court case but cleared after former BJP MLA Baba Gorakhnath withdrew his petition. Milkipur is poised for a high-stakes electoral battle on February 5.
Observers believe that the outcome will not only shape local politics but also indicate broader voter sentiment in Ayodhya, a district symbolic of BJP's core agenda.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)