Yogi to rev up Milkipur bypoll campaign with rally today

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will energise the Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the Milkipur assembly bypoll with a public meeting on Friday as his party aims to wrest the seat from the Samajwadi Party and give the message that it has regained ground in the Ayodhya region, months after losing the prestigious Faizabad Lok Sabha seat.

- Rajesh Kumar Singh

LUCKNOW:

Adityanath's rally comes after the successful organisation of the first anniversary of the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the holy dip by the chief minister and his ministerial colleagues at the Prayagraj Mahakumbh on January 22. The BJP and the SP are locked in a straight fight while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is staying away from the bypoll arena. Both the BJP and the SP have fielded nominees belonging to the Pasi community, the dominant Dalit subcaste in the area.

Ten candidates remained in the fray for the Milkipur bypolls after the expiry of the date for the withdrawal of nomination papers. Milkipur is a reserved constituency where 1.40 lakh of the 3.58 lakh voters are Dalits. About 50,000 of the Dalit voters belong to the Pasi community while others are from the Kori and Jatav communities. There are about 50,000 OBCs, 60,000 Brahmins, 50,000 Yadavs, 30,000 Muslims and 25,000 Rajput voters in the constituency.