While the by-elections for the 10 vacant Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh have yet to be announced, the contest for the Milkipur constituency has intensified, especially with allegations of assault and an FIR entering the fray.

For both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP), winning Milkipur is crucial for their prestige. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP lost Faizabad, home to the Ayodhya Ram Temple, where the SP’s Awadhesh Prasad, a Dalit leader and the incumbent MLA from Milkipur, emerged victorious.

The BJP is eager to reclaim Milkipur to restore its reputation, while the SP aims to maintain control to further humiliate the BJP.

Although neither party has officially announced its candidate for Milkipur, Prasad has suggested that the SP ticket will likely go to his son, Ajit Prasad. Recently, Ajit has faced an FIR accusing him of assault and kidnapping, brought by Ravi Kumar Tiwari. The BJP has labeled this an example of Ajit’s “goondaism,” emphasizing the caste dimension since Tiwari is a Brahmin.

BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya took to X to assert that Ajit, son of the Faizabad MP, had kidnapped and assaulted Tiwari. He also claimed that incidents of rape and hooliganism had surged since the SP’s Lok Sabha victory.

The SP, in response, has denounced the situation as a “political vendetta” driven by the BJP’s fear of losing the seat. SP spokesperson and former Ayodhya MLA Pawan Pandey stated, “The BJP is acting out of frustration. The frequent visits by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and ministers to the constituency reveal their anxiety. This FIR against Ajit is akin to the misuse of the CBI and ED.”

Prasad has announced a protest on October 1 to draw attention to what he calls the BJP’s “atrocities against the deprived classes.” Ajit, who has been actively campaigning in the constituency, has not publicly commented on the FIR.

Though the SP has not formally declared Ajit as its candidate, Prasad claims that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav approved his nomination following discussions with party members.

Local SP leaders mentioned that Ajit was set to launch his political career in the 2017 Assembly polls from Jagdishpur in Amethi, but the seat was allocated to Congress due to an alliance.

The caste dynamics of the FIR are significant, as the incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over commission in a land purchase case. Milkipur, previously represented by Prasad until his Lok Sabha victory, has a substantial population of Scheduled Castes (SC), particularly Pasis and Koris, but also a noteworthy number of Brahmins. The Brahmin community, estimated at around one lakh, is pivotal in determining electoral outcomes.

Many Brahmins are thought to have supported Prasad in recent elections, and the Koris may not fully align with the SP due to the BSP planning to field a candidate from their community.

The SP-Congress alliance is still in the early stages of organizing, with Congress seeking to strengthen its position in all 10 bypoll seats. In Milkipur, it has appointed grassroots Brahmin worker Sanjay Tiwari as its media in charge. “We are laying the groundwork. While discussions of an alliance are underway among top leaders, we are reaching out to all communities,” he told The Indian Express.

The BJP, on the other hand, is presenting a united Hindu front, with Adityanath repeatedly stressing, “Batenge to katenge (divided we fall).”

Pandey, the SP spokesperson, dismissed the idea that Brahmins might shift their support to the BJP because of the FIR against Ajit. “During the SP regime, Brahmins were not targeted like they are now in fake encounters. We are confident they will continue to support us as they have in the past,” he asserted.