Awadhesh Prasad used to be an MLA from Milkipur before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After winning the election from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, he has now become famous as the MP of Ayodhya – Along with Akhilesh Yadav, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is also presenting Awadhesh Prasad as a national leader, and has even started claiming that he will defeat BJP in Gujarat as well.
Now it seems that the fight for the Milkipur assembly seat has become more important than the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency. Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav is trying to retain the Milkipur assembly seat at all costs, and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is trying to put the Milkipur seat in the BJP’s bag by any means possible. In fact, after the BJP lagged behind the Samajwadi Party in the Lok Sabha elections, Yogi Adityanath has become a target in his own party. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Samajwadi Party had won 37 seats, while the BJP was confined to only 33 seats.
BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya has become important because all this happened when the Ram temple was inaugurated. The Ayodhya movement was the reason why BJP came to power at the centre, but what happened as soon as the temple was built that BJP had to face defeat in the Lok Sabha elections? No matter how many reasons are being given, but this is the biggest question for BJP as well.
After the results of the Lok Sabha elections, there is a discussion that caste politics is dominating the politics of religion. The fight for the Milkipur seat is once again becoming religion versus caste. Why is there a need for Yogi Adityanath to start the debate that if we divide, we will be cut?
Why is Milkipur by-election important?
If we look at the history of Milkipur, Samajwadi Party has won the most number of times. Milkipur seat has come to Samajwadi Party’s share 6 times, including once in 2002 with Anand Sen Yadav. The special thing is that Anand Sen Yadav was angry for a long time, and the situation had become such that he had even distanced himself from Awadhesh Prasad’s campaign in the Lok Sabha elections – The first challenge for Akhilesh Yadav in the Milkipur by-election was to remove Anand Sen Yadav’s anger, and he has succeeded in this mission.
Anand Sen Yadav reached the assembly on a BSP ticket in 2007, but later returned to the Samajwadi Party. Anand Sen Yadav’s father Mitra Sen Yadav alone has been an MLA from Milkipur five times, four times on a CPI ticket and the last time in 1996 on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
If we talk about BJP, it has won three times, first in 1969 as Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and last in 2017. Last time i.e. in 2022, BJP’s Baba Gorakhnath lost the election to Samajwadi Party’s Awadhesh Prasad. Now due to the resignation of Awadhesh Prasad, by-elections are being held in Milkipur.
How is BJP engaged in the field of Milkipur?
It is difficult to say whether the pressure to ensure victory in Milkipur is more on the BJP or the Samajwadi Party – but it is clearly visible that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has left no stone unturned in his efforts.
Yogi Adityanath has himself taken charge and has also assigned four ministers to the post. A long time ago, there was news of Yogi Adityanath forming a super-30 team of ministers for all the 10 seats of UP, in which none of the two deputy CMs have got a place – however, now the tone of Keshav Prasad Maurya has completely changed.
The ministers of the BJP government who have been assigned duty in Milkipur are – Surya Pratap Shahi, Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, Girish Yadav and Satish Sharma. If seen, Yogi Adityanath has fielded ministers from Bhumihar, Thakur, Yadav and Brahmin communities, while Milkipur is a reserved seat. That is why there is a discussion about the candidate that the BJP candidate may also be from the community of Awadhesh Prasad.
According to the report, there are 3.57 lakh voters in Milkipur assembly constituency, most of whom are from the Scheduled Caste. After that, there are voters from the OBC category. The Samajwadi Party has been getting the maximum votes from the Pasi community from the Scheduled Castes, and with the equation of Yadav-Muslim votes, the Samajwadi Party has been winning time and again – and for this reason, BJP is also seriously considering a candidate from the Pasi community.
How will Akhilesh Yadav save the stronghold of Milkipur?
After convincing Anand Sen Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav must be feeling relieved. Akhilesh Yadav called a meeting of Samajwadi Party leaders of Ayodhya and said that Ayodhya’s Milkipur seat has to be won at any cost. The special thing was that Anand Sen Yadav was also present in the meeting.
While pushing Ajit Prasad’s name for Milkipur, Akhilesh Yadav appealed to all the leaders to come together to ensure his victory. This Anand Sen Yadav is said to be the one who was opposing Ajit Prasad’s candidature. Ajit Prasad is none other than the son of Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad – and Akhilesh Yadav has given the responsibility of making Awadhesh Prasad win Milkipur.
Akhilesh Yadav has convinced not only Anand Sen Yadav but also the other opponents of Ajit Prasad. Anand Sen Yadav reached the stage in front of Akhilesh Yadav and said that he will leave no stone unturned to ensure Samajwadi Party’s victory from Milkipur. It is believed that due to Anand Sen Yadav’s displeasure, Avdhesh Prasad got very few votes during the Lok Sabha elections in the areas under his influence.
What will be Mayawati’s role in Milkipur?
The reason for BJP and Samajwadi Party to come face to face is clear, but Mayawati is also making BSP contest on all seats including Milkipur. This becomes special because Mayawati has generally stayed away from by-elections.
A big reason for Mayawati’s interest in the by-elections is Chandrashekhar Azad reaching the Parliament by winning the election from Nagina. That is why as soon as the results of the Lok Sabha elections were announced, Mayawati withdrew the exile of her nephew Akash Anand in one go and reinstated him with his old responsibilities.
Mayawati has made Ram Gopal Kori the BJP candidate from Milkipur. Ram Gopal Kori had also contested the election from Milkipur on a BSP ticket in 2017, when he finished third.
In 2017, Ram Gopal Kori got around 50 thousand votes, and it does not seem that he will be able to achieve much in the current environment. In the Lok Sabha elections, BSP could not get a single seat and its vote share has also come down to single number. BSP has only one MLA in the UP Assembly – it will be clear only after the results come what role Ram Gopal Kori played in the Milkipur by-election?
And the biggest question is whether religion or caste politics will prevail in the politics of Ayodhya region? Whatever happens, the result of Milkipur will also show a new path to caste politics in the country.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)