The path for the by-election on the Milkipur seat in Ayodhya district has been cleared following a decision to withdraw a pending petition. This legal hurdle had delayed the announcement of the by-election.
However, the lawyer representing BJP leader Baba Gorakhnath confirmed that he will be withdrawing the petition filed in the Allahabad High Court, paving the way for the Election Commission to proceed. With this development, it is speculated that the election on this seat could be scheduled alongside other by-elections in the state.
The Milkipur Assembly seat was vacated after Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Awadhesh Prasad won the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat. The SP has already named Awadhesh Prasad’s son, Ajit Prasad, as its candidate for the by-election, aiming to retain its hold on the constituency.
Legal dispute delayed Milkipur by-election
The by-election for the Milkipur assembly seat was stalled due to a petition filed in the Allahabad High Court. The petition challenged the validity of documents submitted by SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad during the 2022 assembly elections, where he defeated BJP’s Baba Gorakhnath by over 13,000 votes. The pending petition had prevented the Election Commission from announcing the by-election for this seat.
In a video statement, Baba Gorakhnath’s lawyer, Advocate Rudra Vikram Singh, clarified that the legal case, which had blocked the by-election process, would be withdrawn. He emphasized that since Awadhesh Prasad is no longer an MLA from Milkipur, the petition no longer holds ground. “We will appeal to the High Court to withdraw the petition within the next couple of days, allowing the by-election process to move forward,” Singh said
By-Elections Announced for Nine Seats in Uttar Pradesh
The Election Commission has announced by-elections for nine out of the 10 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Milkipur seat in Ayodhya was initially excluded from this announcement due to the pending legal petition. Voting for the by-elections on the nine seats is scheduled for November 13, with the counting of votes set for November 23.
The by-elections will be held in : Karhal (Mainpuri), Sisamau (Kanpur), Katehari (Ambedkarnagar), Kundarki (Moradabad), Khair (Aligarh), Ghaziabad, Phulpur (Prayagraj), Majhwa (Mirzapur) and Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar)
The Sisamau seat became vacant following the conviction of SP MLA Irfan Solanki, while the remaining nine seats were vacated as the respective MLAs became members of the Lok Sabha.
