In a massive blow to the Samajwadi Party, the BJP wrested the Milkipur assembly seat from the SP. The seat was turned into a high-stakes battle, especially after the saffron party lost the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in 2024. Milkipur, a reserved constituency under the Faizabad Lok Sabha segment, was previously held by Awadhesh Prasad, now SP MP from Faizabad.
While the SP was looking to retain the seat, the BJP saw the election as an opportunity to avenge its loss in Faizabad in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. After all rounds of counting, BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan secured 1,46,397 votes. Ajit Prasad, son of Awadhesh Prasad, could garner just 84,687 votes. He lost by 61,710 votes.
The bypoll was necessitated after SP Awadhesh Prasad vacated the Milkipur assembly seat following his victory in the Lok Sabha election in June 2024. The BJP lost the Faizabad seat by a slim 54,000-vote margin, a defeat that surprised many given the high expectations following the pran pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Mandir in January 2024.
Determined to reclaim its dominance, the BJP has made Milkipur a prestige fight. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned extensively in the constituency, framing the bypoll as a battle between "nationalism and dynastic politics." "The SP is a party of criminals," Adityanath said, urging voters to "avenge the defeat in Ayodhya" by voting for the BJP in Milkipur.
On the other side, the SP is banking on its strong ‘PDA formula’—an alliance focused on backward castes, Dalits, and minorities. Akhilesh Yadav called the election a direct contest between "the people and the administration," asserting the SP’s confidence in retaining the seat. Dalits form around a third of the Milkipur electorate, making it a crucial demographic in this SC-reserved constituency.
The BJP’s loss in Faizabad was not its only setback in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party suffered a significant blow, winning just 36 seats in the state—a stark contrast to its 66-seat tally in 2019. The SP-Congress alliance secured 43 seats, including major wins in constituencies like Shravasti, where the BJP had fielded Saket Misra, son of temple construction head Nripendra Misra.
The BJP’s lower numbers in UP were a key factor in the party losing its majority in the Lok Sabha. Now, after several recent electoral victories in other states, the BJP is eyeing a return to form in Uttar Pradesh, starting with Milkipur.