Voting begins for bypoll in Milkipur Assembly constituency

The voting in the constituency started at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm.

The fate of candidates in the fray will be decided by the Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved constituency's 3,70,829 voters but the main contest is expected to be between Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad and the BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan.

The by-election neccesiated after Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat after winning the Lok Sabha election from Faizabad (Ayodhya) held last year.

Avadesh was the sitting SP MLA from Milkipur, having won the seat, which falls under the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, in the 2022 Assembly elections by defeating the then-incumbent BJP MLA Gorakhnath.

On Wednesday morning, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad performed puja and recited the Hanuman Chalisa and Bajrang Bandh.

Ayodhya Range IG Praveen Kumar said that the polling is proceeding peacefully and that police officials are patrolling the constituency.

He also warned of strict action against illegal activity during the polls.

"The polling is underway peacefully at all the polling stations. Magistrates and police officials are on patrol. Paramilitary forces are deployed at critical polling stations. Strict action will be taken against those who spread rumors or are involved in any other illegal activity," Kumar said.

The constituency has 255 polling centres and 414 polling booths.

The by-election has turned into a high-stakes battle between the ruling BJP and the main opposition SP, months after Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP's sitting MP in the Faizabad (Ayodhya) parliamentary seat, Lallu Singh, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by 54,567 votes.

The BJP's defeat came just a few months after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

In the previously held by-elections for nine assembly seats, the BJP secured victories in six constituencies. The Samajwadi Party (SP) managed to hold its ground in two, while the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won the Meerapur seat. (ANI)