Milkipur bypoll: SP accuses EC of partiality, holds up white sheet in Lok Sabha to register protest

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party members in the Lok Sabha on Thursday held up a white sheet emblazoned with "Election Commission" to protest against the poll panel's alleged partiality during the assembly bypoll in Uttar Pradesh's Milkipur.

Separately, party chief Akhilesh Yadav told reporters in the Parliament complex that he should have brought a cloth to cover the Election Commission (EC) as the poll authority was "dead".

Samajwadi Party members were targeted and threatened by the senior superintendent of police to the junior-most official in Ayodhya, he claimed.

He alleged that the EC did not ensure a free and fair bypoll, with the officials deputed being from a particular caste.

Had the EC taken stringent action, the bypoll would have been held in a free and fair manner, Yadav said.

The Kannauj MP also alleged that 500 complaints were lodged by his party using social media but no action was taken.

The Milkipur bypoll turned into a prestige battle between the Samajwadi Party and the BJP as the seat is part of the politically significant Ayodhya district.

The bypoll was held after Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat following his victory in the Lok Sabha elections from Faizabad.

Even as the Samajwadi Party looked to retain the seat, the BJP saw the bypoll as an opportunity to avenge its loss in Faizabad.

In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Milkipur was the only assembly seat the BJP lost in Ayodhya district.