The ‘Milkipur Way’ Goes Saffron: Why Ayodhya Seat Picked BJP’s Yogi Over SP’s Akhilesh In Bypoll

Last Updated:February 09, 2025, 13:31 IST

Milkipur bypolls: Political observers defined the BJP’s win as the victory of Hindutva and development formula over SP’s Picchda Dalit Alpasankhyak (PDA) strategy

The cocktail of ‘Hindutva’, ‘Katenge to Batenge’ and Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘pro development’ approach, experts say, turned out to be a game-changer in Ayodhya’s Milkipur bypoll, delivering a record-breaking 61,710-vote victory for the BJP over the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Political observers defined the BJP’s win as the victory of Hindutva and development formula over SP’s Picchda Dalit Alpasankhyak (PDA), stray cattle menace, and Constitution change issues, which failed to resonate among the masses.

With BJP’s Milkipur win, which people called a reply to the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls in which the BJP lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat of Ayodhya, the total bypoll score of BJP and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is 8 out of 10. The SP has managed to win two seats.

On Milkipur, the bypolls were necessitated after the sitting MLAs were elected as MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. At the Milkipur assembly constituency, Awadhesh Prasad, the SP MLA, was fielded by the party as a candidate for the Ayodhya (Faizabad) parliamentary seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. He won and became an MP, leaving the Milkipur assembly seat vacant.

The bypoll for Milkipur was originally scheduled for November along with other nine seats, but BJP leader Gorakhnath had filed a petition in the High Court challenging Prasad’s nomination and demanding its cancellation. However, he later withdrew the petition, clearing the way for the election.

THE HISTORIC WIN

The BJP registered a thumping win by winning Milkipur assembly bypolls by 61,710 votes. BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan maintained a steady lead from the initial counting rounds, which only widened as the day progressed.

In the first few rounds, the contest appeared closely fought, with SP candidate Ajit Prasad trailing, but still within reach. However, by the ninth round, the BJP had established a strong lead of 25,378 votes, indicating a clear voter preference. As the counting continued, the gap widened significantly – by the 10th round, the BJP led by 28,595 votes, and by the 13th round, the lead had surged past 36,810 votes.

After 17 rounds, the BJP’s dominance became more apparent, as Paswan’s lead crossed 42,886 votes. By the 29th round, the BJP had cemented an unassailable margin of 60,297 votes, with Paswan securing 1,43,558 votes against Prasad’s 82,592 votes.

AYODHYA CHOOSES DEVELOPMENT

The BJP’s historic win triggered reactions across the political circle in UP, with minister OP Rajbhar highlighting the electorate’s preference for development initiatives and said people of Ayodhya and Milkipur have chosen development and UP CM Yogi Adityanath once again. “I had already said earlier that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate will win with a majority. The public wants development and they are happy with the work of Yogi ji,” said Rajbhar on BJP’s victory.

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma interpreted the outcome as a clear rejection of the SP’s political dominance, citing increasing leads in each successive round of counting. Similarly, BJP leaders have portrayed this electoral success as validation of their governance model, promising cleaner rivers and development under their administration.

SP BLAMES MALPRACTICES

SP leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav and MP Awadhesh Prasad have criticised the electoral process, alleging malpractices and mismanagement. The MP accused the BJP of unethical conduct, predicting a historical victory for SP’s Ajit Prasad despite the current deficit. Congress leader Sanjay Tiwari described it as a compromised electoral process detrimental to democracy.

‘TRIUMPH OF HINDUTVA AND DEVELOPMENT OVER SP’

Political analysts see the BJP’s resounding victory in Milkipur as a triumph of Hindutva and development over SP’s PDA formula and issues such as Constitutional changes and stray cattle. “Multiple factors contributed to BJP’s win – it was a cocktail of Hindutva politics, development, and the sentiment of ‘Katenge to Batenge,” said senior journalist and political observer Balram Tiwari. “CM Yogi Adityanath led from the front, emphasising development. As Milkipur has long remained with the opposition, voters felt aligning with the ruling party would bring the constituency into the mainstream of development,” pointed out Tiwari.

CASTE DYNAMICS THAT TURNED THE TIDE

While SP’s PDA strategy and concerns over Constitutional changes failed to resonate, the BJP effectively consolidated caste support. Unlike the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the OBC and Dalit votes largely favoured SP’s Awadhesh Prasad, this time, Brahmins and Thakurs united behind the BJP. Other backward castes like Chaurasiyas and Pals also shifted towards BJP, while Dalit votes split into three parts, with two favouring the BJP and one going to Azad Samaj Party. Milkipur has around 3.5 lakh voters, including 1 lakh Dalits, 80,000 Yadavs and Muslims, and 1 lakh Brahmins and Thakurs. Observers called Adityanath’s management perfect.

YOGI ADITYANATH LEADS FROM THE FRONT

Milkipur bypolls, political analysts say, was no less than a battle of prestige for the BJP, especially after it lost the Ayodhya Lok Sabha seat to the SP in the recent 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. Hence, the saffron party was desperately eyeing this Dalit-dominated assembly seat to avenge its defeat. It is the main reason why the Yogi led BJP Government was in no mood to take any chances.

Adityanath himself took charge of the BJP’s campaign, visiting Milkipur six times in the past six months. The BJP’s campaign machinery was pressed in, deploying six senior ministers, including Swatantra Dev Singh, Surya Pratap Shahi, JPS Rathore, and Girish Yadav, alongside 40+ MLAs to spearhead a booth-level strategy.

Party insiders said the BJP’s campaign included over 1,000 public meetings and ‘chaupals’ to engage with different voter groups, door-to-door outreach programmes led by party functionaries, and a special focus on Dalit and Brahmin outreach to counter SP’s PDA strategy.

Adityanath has repeatedly drawn comparisons with the Kundarki bypoll in Moradabad, where a division in Muslim votes helped the BJP clinch a surprise victory in 2024. Some party insiders said the party replicated the similar caste realignments in Milkipur by aggressively courting Dalit voters, particularly Pasis, who hold sway in the constituency.

Another crucial aspect of the BJP’s strategy is the development narrative. The Yogi government also launched projects worth Rs 1,000 crore in Milkipur, focusing on infrastructure, employment, and welfare schemes.