Bypolls: Record 65% turnout in Milkipur; 64% in Erode
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Synopsis
Voting took place for the Delhi Assembly elections and by-polls in UP’s Milkipur and Tamil Nadu’s Erode (East). In Milkipur, a direct contest between SP and BJP saw a record turnout of 65.35%. Allegations of voter intimidation arose, while BJP expressed confidence in victory. Erode witnessed a 64% turnout with DMK contesting the vacated Congress seat.
ANINew Delhi: Voting was held for the Delhi Assembly elections along with by-polls in Uttar Pradesh’s Milkipur and Tamil Nadu’s Erode (East).
In Milkipur, voter turnout reached a record 65.35%, up from 60% in the 2022 Assembly polls. The seat was vacated after SP’s Awadhesh Prasad won the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat. SP fielded his son Ajit Prasad, while BJP nominated Chandrabhan Paswan. With Congress and BSP abstaining, it became a direct SP-BJP contest.
SP accused the state government of preventing its voters from casting ballots. Party leaders alleged that the police were checking ID cards of minority women voters to intimidate them. SP president Akhilesh Yadav demanded action, stating, “This is a democratic crime of indirectly influencing voting by creating fear among voters.”
Once polling ended, BJP leaders expressed confidence in victory. BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi claimed, “The BJP is going to register a historic win in Milkipur. It is quite clear from the reactions of the SP leaders that the party has accepted defeat even before the results are announced.”
In Tamil Nadu’s Erode (East), voter turnout stood at 64%, according to ECI data. The by-election was necessitated by the death of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan. Congress ceded the seat to its ally DMK, which fielded V C Chandrakumar against NTK’s MK Seethalakshmi. The opposition AIADMK and BJP boycotted the by-poll.
