"Don't post misleading tweets": Ayodhya Police respond to Akhilesh Yadav's allegation on Milkipur by-polls

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 5 (ANI): The Ayodhya Police responded to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's allegation that the police is checking the ID cards of voters in the Milkipur where by-polls are underway on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Ayodhya police said that the police were checking the ID of a booth agent of a candidate, not of voters.
"The above photo is of the booth agent's identity card, the person seen in the photo is a booth agent of a candidate which has been verified by seeing his identity card. Please do not make misleading tweets," they said.
Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the police were checking the ID cards. In a post on X, Yadav demanded action from the Election Commission to remove people involved in this.
"The Election Commission should immediately take cognizance of the pictures related to this news that Ayodhya police is checking the ID cards of voters in Milkipur, in which senior police officers are also involved. This is a democratic crime of indirectly influencing voting by creating fear among voters. Such people should be removed immediately and punitive action should be taken," Akhilesh Yadav said.
Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad also alleged on Wednesday that the BJP is 'influencing' the elections.
"Offering prayers is a matter of my faith. It has always been a part of my life. The bypoll in Milkipur is taking place today... The BJP has constantly tried to influence the elections here... The voting is underway today since 7 am and I have received information that our party workers are being chased away from the polling booths," Awadhesh Prasad said.
Voting for the Milkipur by-election in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya district began on Wednesday morning. The BJP is seeking revenge in Milkipur, a crucial Assembly segment of Faizabad, after its shocking loss in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which is home to the iconic Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
This by-election has become a high-stakes prestige battle for the BJP, with the party urging voters to "avenge the defeat."
The by-election was necessitated after Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat after winning the Lok Sabha election from Faizabad (Ayodhya) held last year.
The BJP is determined to reclaim this seat, not just to salvage its pride but also to reinforce its influence in the region. The contest has become a test of strength between the BJP and the SP, with both parties pulling out all the stops to win.
The fate of candidates in the fray will be decided by the Scheduled Castes (SC)-reserved constituency's 370,829 voters, whereas the main contest is expected to be between Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad and the BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan. (ANI)