Bypolls: Tight Contest On UP's Milkipur Seat, Edge For DMK In Tamil Nadu's Erode East

The bypoll was triggered after SP leader Awadhesh Prasad vacated the Milkipur assembly seat following his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Faizabad.

Representational Image | The Milkipur by-election in Uttar Pradesh is a high-stakes battle between the Samajwadi Party and BJP. While in Erode (East) bypolls, AIADMK and BJP opted out.

Source : PTI

The Milkipur assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh is set to witness the final showdown in a high-stakes battle between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP as voters head to the polls from 7 am on Wednesday.

The Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved constituency, with 3,70,829 eligible voters, will determine the fate of 10 candidates, though the primary contest is expected between Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad and BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan.

According to a report by PTI, the bypoll in Milkipur, located in Ayodhya district, has gained significance following SP leader Awadhesh Prasad’s unexpected victory in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat last year, just months after the grand inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Polling will take place from 7 am to 5 pm under tight security. Election officials said polling teams have been dispatched from Government Inter College to designated booths across Milkipur. A total of 255 polling centres and 414 polling stations have been set up to ensure a smooth voting process.

"Webcasting will be conducted at 210 polling stations and videography at 25 stations. Micro-observers are deployed at 71 polling centers, with nine flying squads, nine static surveillance teams, six video surveillance teams, two super zonal magistrates, four zonal magistrates and 41 sector magistrates. Voting will be conducted with the assistance of civil police, PAC, and paramilitary forces," officials said.

A total of 1,92,984 men, 1,77,838 women, and seven third-gender voters are registered to cast their votes in the Milkipur bypoll. Additionally, 4,811 individuals will be voting for the first time in this election.  

While the BSP has opted out of the contest, the Congress is supporting its alliance partner, the Samajwadi Party (SP), in the race. Meanwhile, the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has also fielded its candidate for the seat.  

The bypoll was triggered after SP leader Awadhesh Prasad vacated the Milkipur assembly seat following his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Faizabad.  As the SP aims to retain its stronghold, the BJP is eyeing the election as a chance to reclaim ground after its defeat in Faizabad. Notably, in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Milkipur was the only constituency in Ayodhya district where the BJP faced a loss.

Campaign In Erode (East) By Elections Come To End

Similarly, another campaign for the by-elections in Erode (east), Tamil Nadu, scheduled for February 5, concluded on Monday. This marked one of Tamil Nadu’s quieter and less-discussed snap polls.

According to a report by Deccan Herald, the opposition AIADMK and BJP opted out of the February 5 bypoll, citing concerns that the ruling DMK would use excessive monetary influence to sway voters, similar to the February 2023 elections, where opposition parties claimed they were restricted to their offices.

The by-election appears to be an easy win for the DMK after the AIADMK and BJP are absent. Its candidate, V C Chandrakumar—who previously switched from Vijayakanth’s DMDK—is contesting against Naam Tamizhar Katchi’s M K Seethalakshmi, a relatively weaker competitor. The absence of major opposition parties has allowed the DMK to conserve both financial and human resources.

This marks the second by-election in Erode (East) within two years. The seat was previously contested in 2023 following the death of Congress MLA Thirumahan Everaa, which led to the election of his father, E V K S Elangovan. After Elangovan's passing in December 2024, the DMK expressed interest in contesting the bypoll, prompting the Congress to relinquish the seat.