Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, said on Wednesday that police in Milkipur, where by-elections are taking place, are examining voter ID cards. Yadav called on the Election Commission to take steps to remove those responsible in a post on X.

“Ayodhya police are checking voters’ ID cards in Milkipur, and senior police officers are involved. The Election Commission should take immediate notice of the images associated with this news.” Indirectly influencing voting by instilling fear in voters is a democratic crime. Punitive measures should be adopted and such individuals should be removed right away, Akhilesh Yadav said.

The BJP is ‘influencing’ the polls, according to Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad’s accusations on Wednesday.

“It is a matter of my religion to offer prayers. My life has always included that. Today is the day of the Milkipur by-election. The BJP has made repeated attempts to sway these elections. I’ve heard that our party workers are being ejected from the polling places, and the voting has been going on since 7 am,” Awadhesh Prasad said.

In the Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh, voting for the Milkipur by-election got underway Wednesday morning. Following its unexpected defeat in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which is home to the famous Ayodhya Ram Mandir, the BJP is aiming for retribution in Milkipur, a vital Assembly sector of Faizabad.

The BJP is calling on voters to “avenge the defeat” in this by-election, which has turned into a high-stakes prestige contest.

“After winning the Lok Sabha election from Faizabad (Ayodhya) last year, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad quit the seat, necessitating the by-election.

In addition to preserving its prestige, the BJP is committed to regaining this seat in order to increase its power in the area. With both parties doing all in their power to win, the campaign has turned into a test of strength between the BJP and the SP.

The 370,829 voters in the Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved seat will determine the destiny of the candidates in the race, while Ajit Prasad of the Samajwadi Party and Chandrabhanu Paswan of the BJP are anticipated to face off in the main election.