Ayodhya: BJP avenged its Ayodhya defeat by winning Milkipur, reclaiming the Assembly seat from the Samajwadi Party (SP) after eight years. The victory marks the biggest margin in the history of Milkipur, with BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan defeating SP’s Ajit Prasad by 61,636 votes.
The BJP camp celebrated the victory with workers dancing to drum beats and distributing laddus, while the SP camp remained subdued, with Ajit Prasad and his father, MP Awadhesh Prasad, staying indoors.
This victory comes just months after the BJP suffered a setback in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, despite the presence of the newly constructed Ram Temple.
BJP’s loss in Faizabad Lok Sabha elections was a wake-up call, prompting the party to address local grievances, remove restrictions on temple visits, and reinforce its grassroots outreach during this election. CM Yogi Adityanath played a pivotal role, making Milkipur a prestige battle. He visited Ayodhya and Milkipur seven times post the Lok Sabha elections, launching government schemes and engaging directly with voters.
The BJP also deployed six cabinet ministers and 40 MLAs to different parts of the constituency, each with specific responsibilities to mobilize support at the caste and community levels. The party’s meticulous booth-level management, identifying and rectifying previous voting gaps, played a crucial role in turning the tide. “Unlike in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP corrected its mistakes by ensuring a stronger presence at the booth level, which proved to be a game-changer,” said a political analyst Dr Ashok Sinha.
In 2022, SP’s Awadhesh Prasad had secured the seat with a margin of 39,237 votes. In the latest by-election, Chandrabhanu Paswan received 1,46,291 votes, while Ajit Prasad managed 84,655 votes. Despite being the son of Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad, Ajit Prasad lost from his own booth. BJP, which had trailed by 7,000 votes in Milkipur during the Lok Sabha elections, managed to overturn the deficit in just eight months.
Azad Samaj Party candidate Suraj Chaudhary finished third with 5,457 votes. From the first round of counting, BJP maintained a lead, which continued until the final tally, leaving SP unable to overtake at any stage.
Reacting to the results, Akhilesh Yadav dismissed the BJP’s victory as fraudulent. “This is a false victory for the BJP. BJP workers will not be able to celebrate it with open eyes. The officers who did fraud will be punished. Neither nature will spare them, nor the law,” he said. Meanwhile, Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad and his son Ajit Prasad refrained from making any public appearances. Speaking to a news agency from home, Awadhesh Prasad alleged electoral misconduct, stating, “BJP has broken the record of dishonesty. Their goons did booth capturing.”
As soon as BJP secured victory in Milkipur, celebrations erupted at the party office. Women workers applied abir-gulal to each other, while Muslim women in Varanasi marked the occasion by bursting firecrackers and playing band-baja.
Awadhesh Prasad had previously served as SP MLA from Milkipur. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, SP fielded him for the parliamentary elections, where he won from Ayodhya (Faizabad), leaving the Milkipur seat vacant. By-elections were scheduled for November, but BJP leader Gorakhnath filed a petition in the High Court challenging Awadhesh Prasad’s nomination. However, he later withdrew the petition, allowing the elections to proceed as planned.