Why is Ayodhya’s Milkipur, a high-profile constituency, out of the state assembly bypolls race? The answer lies in a writ petition filed by BJP candidate Baba Gorakhnath, who contested the 2022 state assembly elections from Milkipur. Baba Gorakhnath has challenged the victory of Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Awadhesh Prasad, raising concerns over the authenticity of the documents Prasad submitted during his nomination.
On Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, while announcing the dates for by-elections, said seats, including Milkipur, on which by-election dates have not been announced are the ones whose cases are in court. However, shortly after his address, Gorakhnath declared his intent to withdraw the petition.
ECI Skipped Milkipur Bypoll Dates
The CEC, while announcing the bypoll dates for only nine assembly constituencies, said: “The election petition (that is, the matter has reached the court) regarding the seats for which by-election dates have not been announced is filed in the court. The by-elections on all nine assembly seats will be held on November 13.
The Petition That Put Milkipur Bypolls On Hold
The Milkipur seat became vacant after Prasad won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Faizabad, defeating BJP’s two-time MP Lallu Singh.
Gorakhnath’s writ petition had challenged the validity of Prasad’s nomination papers, specifically the affidavit’s legitimacy. Through an RTI, Gorakhnath discovered that the licence of notary officer Rakesh Srivastava, who authenticated Prasad’s documents, had expired in 2011 and he had not applied for renewal.
Advocate Sandeep Yadav, representing Gorakhnath, said the last hearing of the case took place on September 12, 2023. Since the petition is still pending before the high court, the ECI skipped the dates of the bypolls.
Announcement to Withdraw Petition
Later on Tuesday, Gorakhnath announced his decision to withdraw the petition, saying: “I will withdraw my petition within a week. I had filed it along with another person, Shivmurti. We have decided to withdraw the case to pave the way for the bypoll.”
This move could clear the way for a by-election in Milkipur. The BJP, after losing the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat (which includes Ayodhya) in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is leaving no stone unturned in the Dalit-dominated assembly seat to avenge its defeat, even as Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Chandrashekhar Azad’s outfit eye victory in the crucial bypolls that have been termed a prestige battle.
The 2024 Lok Sabha Polls
The BJP faced a surprising defeat in the Faizabad constituency, which includes the temple town of Ayodhya, despite having fulfilled its long-standing promise of constructing the Ram Temple at the deity’s believed birthplace.
Samajwadi Party’s Awadhesh Prasad won the seat, defeating two-time BJP MP Lallu Singh by a margin of 54,567 votes. Prasad secured 5,54,289 votes, while Singh managed 4,99,722 votes.
The Faizabad constituency, one of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats, holds immense significance as it encompasses Ayodhya, the focal point of the Ram Temple movement. The BJP’s loss in this crucial constituency was seen as a major setback, as the party has long relied on Ayodhya’s religious symbolism to bolster its political standing.
Will BJP Regain Foothold in Ayodhya?
Political observers in Uttar Pradesh acknowledge that while BJP’s ‘Mission Milkipur’ appears promising, it faces several challenges.
According to Balram Tiwari, political observer and senior journalist from Faizabad, public perception in Ayodhya has shifted significantly over the last four months. The decision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to personally lead the Milkipur bypoll campaign has boosted morale among party workers, alleviating some of the earlier discontent over fielding Lallu Singh in previous elections.
Tiwari added that there are rumours suggesting the BJP may field Gorakhnath, a Pasi, in the bypoll. Gorakhnath narrowly lost to Prasad in 2022 by a margin of just over 13,000 votes. However, in 2017, Gorakhnath, then 32, defeated Prasad, who was 72 at the time, by over 26,000 votes.
SP to Make Milkipur A Pasi Vs Pasi Contest
Amidst rumours that BJP may field Gorakhnath, a Pasi, from Milkipur, the SP recently announced Ajeet Prasad, son of Awadhesh Prasad and a Pasi too, as its candidate from the assembly constituency. This time, the BSP and Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party (ASP) have also announced their decision to contest from Milkipur.
Other Nine Seats to See Polls on November 13
Besides Milkipur, other nine seats which had fallen vacant include SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s Karhal assembly constituency that was vacated to retain the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat. Apart from this, the ACs are Khair (Aligarh), Kundarki (Moradabad), Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Phulpur (Prayagraj), Ghaziabad (Ghaziabad), Majhawan (Mirzapur) and Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar). The remaining Sisamau (Kanpur) seat became vacant after SP MLA Irfan Solanki was convicted and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment, bringing the total number of vacant assembly seats to 10.
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