By-polls in 10 UP assembly seats soon as MLAs are now Lok Sabha members

In the wake of 10 MLAs from Uttar Pradesh winning seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the state is bracing for by-elections. The contest is expected to be another fierce battle between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition INDIA bloc. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, the key partners in the INDIA bloc, have announced their alliance will continue into the by-polls, with further discussions on seat-sharing which is already in pipeline. As per sources, SP could offer 2 to 3 seats to Congress party and SP will fight on 7 to 8 seats. In soon-to-be-vacant seats, the most prominent is Karhal assembly seat from where the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has resigned as to retain the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat. Other vacant seats include Khair (Aligarh), Kundarki (Moradabad), Katehari (Ambedkar Nagar), Phulpur (Prayagraj), Ghaziabad (Ghaziabad), Majhawan (Mirzapur), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), and Milkipur (Ayodhya). Meanwhile, out of 10 assembly seats, it’s Ayodhya’s Milkipur assembly seat which will be BJP’s target after suffering defeat in Ayodhya despite the makeover of the city and construction of the Ram temple.