The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced that the bypolls to nine out of the ten vacant assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh will take place on November 13. The only constituency left out is the Milkipur assembly seat in Ayodhya, sparking a political war of words between the opposition and ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Samajwadi Party, shortly after the poll schedule was announced, alleged that the BJP is trying to “stall” the bypolls in the Milkipur seat as it was “afraid” of its defeat in Ayodhya.
The assembly seats where bye-elections will be held are Katehari, Karhal, Meerapur, Kundarki, Phulpur, Sisamau, Ghaziabad, Majhawan and Kahir. However, the polls in Milkipur were not announced by the ECI as an election petition is pending in the high court against the candidate who had won the seat earlier.
In a veiled jibe at the BJP, SP president Akhilesh Yadav posted on X, “Whoever has postponed the war, consider that he has lost the war.”
SP spokesperson Anurag Bhadauria said, "When election is being held on nine seats, why it can't be held on the 10th seat -- Milkipur. What report the state government has given to the EC. It should be made clear."
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SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who won from the Faizabad seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, told ANI, “Samajwadi Party is confident that we will win all the nine seats (in UP bypolls). I resigned from the Milkipur seat on June 12 and this seat was vacant. BJP has understood that they will lose the election and Samajwadi Party will win with majority. That is why they have delayed the election.”
{{/usCountry}}SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who won from the Faizabad seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, told ANI, “Samajwadi Party is confident that we will win all the nine seats (in UP bypolls). I resigned from the Milkipur seat on June 12 and this seat was vacant. BJP has understood that they will lose the election and Samajwadi Party will win with majority. That is why they have delayed the election.”
{{/usCountry}}However, the Bharatiya Janata Party defended the EC's decision to not announcing the polls in Milkipur, saying that the petition filed in court by two candidates from the seat has not been disposed yet.
BJP spokesperson Harischandra Srivastava told PTI, “The licence of the person who got the notary done in the nomination filed by SP's Awadhesh Prasad, who won Milkipur in the 2022 assembly elections, was revoked five years ago. Against this, two candidates Gorakhnath and Ram Murti had filed a petition in the court, which has not been disposed of yet. That is why bypoll was not declared on this seat.”