AYODHYA, UTTAR PRADESH: The counting of votes for the Milkipur Assembly by-election started at 8 AM on Saturday. The election was held on February 5.

About 57.13% of voters participated in the election. Strict security measures have been taken in the area.

"Security is tight, and paramilitary forces are on duty 24/7," said Ayodhya District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh.

BJP vs SP in a Tough Fight

The main competition is between BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan and SP's Ajit Prasad. This election is very important for both parties.

In the 2022 Assembly elections, SP's Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP's Gorakhnath. More recently, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Awadhesh Prasad beat BJP MP Lallu Singh in the Faizabad (Ayodhya) seat by 54,567 votes. This was a big shock for the BJP, especially since it happened just after the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Akhilesh Yadav Alleges Fake Voting

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of bringing party workers from nearby districts like Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur, and Amethi to cast fake votes in Milkipur.

"Everyone should see how democracy works in a BJP-ruled state. The BJP had a well-planned strategy for fake voting," Yadav said. He also criticized the Election Commission, calling it ineffective.

On Wednesday, Yadav also claimed that the police were checking voter ID cards. However, Ayodhya Police denied this, saying they were only checking the ID cards of booth agents, not voters. The police asked Yadav not to spread false information.