The Election Commission on Tuesday announced the schedule of Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections as well as by-elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, out of the 10 seats for assembly seats, the Election Commission announced dates for only nine, leaving out Milkipur seat in Ayodhya. After BJP’s defeat in Ayodhya, everyone’s eyes were on this seat. Continuous preparations are being made regarding this from both the sides.
Responding to why elections were not announced in Milkipur, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the seats where by-election dates have not been announced are those whose cases are in court. He said that election petitions have been filed in the court regarding those seats for which by-election dates have not been announced. Actually, former MLA Gorakhnath Baba has filed a petition in the High Court after losing in the 2022 assembly elections. This petition was filed regarding SP’s Awadhesh Prasad winning the elections. The matter is currently pending in the court.
However, now news is coming that Gorakhnath Baba will withdraw his petition in a day or two. Samajwadi Party (SP) has expressed a sharp reaction on the program not being announced for Milkipur seat. While reacting to the Election Commission not declaring the program of Milkipur seat of Ayodhya district, SP spokesperson Anurag Bhadauria raised a question mark. Bhadauria said, “When elections are being held on nine seats, why can’t elections be held on the 10th Milkipur seat?” What report has the state government given to the Election Commission? This should be made clear.
SP chief and MLA from Karhal area of Mainpuri district Akhilesh Yadav’s Kannauj, SP MLA Ziaur Rehman’s Sambhal from Kundarki area of Moradabad district, Ambedkarnagar MLA Lalji Verma from Katehari assembly seat of Ambedkarnagar district, SP MLA Awadhesh Prasad from Milkipur seat of Ayodhya district. This seat has become vacant after K was elected as the member of Lok Sabha from Faizabad (Ayodhya). This seat has been declared vacant due to the sentencing of MLA Irfan Solanki from Sisamau seat of Kanpur.
Apart from this, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Chandan Chauhan (Bijnor) from Mirapur seat of Bijnor district, BJP MLA from Ghaziabad Sadar Atul Garg (Ghaziabad)]BJP MLA from Khair area of Aligarh district Anup Valmiki (Hathras), BJP MLA from Phulpur assembly constituency of Prayagraj. This seat of the Assembly is vacant after MLA Praveen Patel (Phulpur), MLA Vinod Kumar Bind (Bhadohi) of Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (Nishad) of Majhwan area of Mirzapur was elected as Lok Sabha member. Avadhesh Prasad had won from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lallu Singh and prevented Singh from winning for the third time. Before the elections, the eyes of the entire country were on the election of this seat due to the consecration of the idol of Shri Ramlala in the newly constructed Ram temple in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024.
