In the upcoming assembly by-election in Milkipur, UP, the contest is primarily between SP and BJP. However, with the entry of Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad's party, the election has become a three-cornered battle. Azad's Samaj Party has given the ticket to Suraj Chaudhary, a dissident leader from SP. Suraj claims that the SP MP from Faizabad, Awadhesh Prasad, had promised him a ticket from Milkipur, but after winning a parliamentary seat, he reneged on his promise and, by manipulating Akhilesh Yadav, managed to secure the ticket for his son, Ajit Prasad.
Note that Awadhesh Prasad was previously an MLA from Milkipur. SP had fielded him from Faizabad during the Lok Sabha elections. Following his victory, he had to vacate one seat and chose to relinquish his MLA seat, resulting in a by-election in Milkipur. In this race, all three parties have fielded Dalit candidates.
Concerning his candidature, Suraj Chaudhary of the Azad Samaj Party points out, "In 2022, I worked tirelessly for Awadhesh Prasad's victory in Milkipur. When he got the chance to contest in the Lok Sabha election, he asked for my support, promising to get me a ticket for the by-election. Yet, post his parliamentary win, he betrayed me and secured the ticket for his son. When I approached him, he said the party will decide whom to give the ticket. So, I left the party. Today, many SP members still support me. Both Dalit and Yadav communities stand with me."
Suraj Chaudhary claims to be a local resident of Milkipur, while labeling SP's Ajit Prasad and BJP's Chandrabhan Prasad as outsiders. He remarked that they belong to another assembly and spend more time away from the constituency, rarely interacting with the locals.
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Interestingly, Chandrabhan Paswan is also a resident of Ayodhya/Faizabad district, albeit from the Rudhauli assembly area. He once served as a member of the district panchayat from Rudhauli. Leveraging this point, leaders and workers of both SP and Azad Samaj Party are trying to frame this by-election as an 'outsider vs insider' battle.
BJP candidate Chandrabhan Paswan is a lawyer by profession and also has ties to the saree business. It's reported he has been active in the Milkipur assembly area for the last two years and was vying for the reserved seat's ticket. Chandrabhan faced competition from former MLA Baba Gorakhnath in the BJP's ticket race. In the 2017 assembly election, it was Baba Gorakhnath who defeated Awadhesh Prasad, bringing victory for BJP in Milkipur. However, in 2022, Baba Gorakhnath faced defeat. Though he was again in the fray for a party ticket, this time BJP favored Chandrabhan.
