Milkipur, Erode By Election Results 2025 LIVE Updates: BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan wins in Milkipur; DMK’s Chandhirakumar secures landslide victory in Erode

The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu extended its winning run in elections on Saturday by emerging victorious in the Erode East bypoll with a massive margin against actor-politician Seeman's NTK, a victory that should come as a major boost to the M K Stalin-led party ahead of next year's Assembly elections.

DMK's V C Chandhirakumar trounced Naam Tamilar Katchi's (NTK) M K Seethalakshmi by a margin of 91,558 votes. In the process, NTK, a Tamil nationalist organisation, forefeited deposit. With 44 other candidates-- most of them independents, in fray, NOTA (None of the Above) grabbed the third place with 6,109 votes.

Chandhirakumar polled 1,15,709 votes while Seethalakshmi came a distant second with 24,151 votes.

The winning candidate later said the DMK has secured "75 per cent of the votes." "I dedicate this victory to the Chief Minister (Stalin). People have reposed faith in the DMK, the CM and deputy CM (Udhayanidhi Stalin)," he told reporters.

The victory sparked jubilation among DMK supporters in Erode and elsewehere. At the party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai, DMK workers celebrated the win by bursting crackers.

The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA from the segment, EVKS Elangovan last year.

The Congress is a part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the state and the seat was won by the national party's E Thirumahan Everaa in 2021 elections. Following his death in January, 2023, his father Elangovan won the bypoll held in March that year.

Assembly elections are scheduled both in Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry union terriory next year. The DMK is keen to retain power in TN, after sweeping the elections in 2021 that ended its 10 year-long stint in the opposition. DMK and its allies had won 38 of the 39 LS seats in the 2019 parliamentary polls as well. The ruling party had retained the Vikravandi. (PTI)

After 20 rounds of counting, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) Chandhirakumar emerged victorious over Naam Tamilar Katchi's (NTK) Seethalakshmi by 1,15,709 votes.

The BJP won the prestigious fight for the Milkipur Assembly seat on Saturday, with its candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan trumping his Samajwadi Party (SP) rival Ajit Prasad by 61,710 votes.

The BJP had staked it all for the bypoll, which falls under the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party had lost from Faizabad, in a loss of face as the Lok Sabha constituency includes Ayodhya. The SP candidate who won from Faizabad, Awadhesh Prasad, had vacated the Milkipur seat, necessitating the bypoll. Prasad’s son Ajit was the SP candidate for the bypoll.

“We took the welfare programmes and schemes of the double engine BJP government to the people of Milkipur and they supported us. We will not leave any stone unturned for the development of Milkipur,” Paswan said, following his victory, crediting it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the good governance of the BJP-led Centre and state governments. Read More

After 19 rounds of counting, DMK’s Chandhirakumar is leading against NTK’s Seethalakshmi by 91,342 votes.

BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan has won the Milkipur bypolls by a margin of 61,710 votes, according to the Election Commission website. While Paswan polled over 1.46 lakh votes, his nearest rival Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad garnered 84,687 votes, it said.

Earlier, Paswan, 38, took a decisive lead over SP's Prasad, 42, by over 61,000 votes after the 29th round of counting for the Milkipur assembly by-poll on Saturday, officials said. According to the official website of the Election Commission, after 28 rounds of counting, Paswan (with 1,39,507 votes) was leading Prasad (79,210 votes) by a margin of 60,297 votes.

Santosh Kumar of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) has got 5,158 votes.

The Milkipur by-poll was necessitated after local MLA Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat following his Faizabad win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The SP fielded his son Ajit Prasad in the bypoll even as BJP opted for a party cadre Paswan, both from the Pasi community. While the SP was anxious to retain the seat it won in 2022 UP polls, the BJP was anxious to avenge its Faizabad loss that had happened within five months of the high-profile consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya.

Milkipur was the only seat the BJP lost in Ayodhya district in the 2022 Assembly polls. (PTI)

After 15 rounds of counting, DMK's Chandhirakumar is leading against NTK's Seethalakshmi by 80,862 votes.

As vote counting nears completion in the Erode East bypoll, the ruling DMK has surged ahead with a decisive lead, reaffirming its electoral dominance in the region. DMK candidate VC Chandhirakumar has secured 61,834 votes, placing him significantly ahead of his closest rival, M K Seethalakshmi of the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), who received 13,466 votes so far.

The bypoll, necessitated by the demise of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan, saw a voter turnout of 67.97 per cent, with 1,54,657 people casting their ballots. While 46 candidates were in the fray, the election turned into a two-cornered contest between the DMK and NTK of Tamil nationalist leader Seeman. The main opposition, AIADMK, and BJP jointly boycotted the election, reshaping the expected vote distribution.

The DMK’s commanding performance comes as no surprise. In the 2023 bypoll, Elangovan clinched victory with a margin of 66,233 votes, defeating AIADMK’s K S Thenarassu, while NTK’s Menaka Navaneethan secured 10,827 votes.

Read Arun Janardhanan's Political Pulse here

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated the BJP workers for a "historic victory" in the Milkipur bypolls.

"Heartiest congratulations to all the dedicated party officials and hard-working workers for the historic victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the by-election of Milkipur Legislative Assembly seat," he wrote in a post on X.

"This victory is a symbol of the unwavering faith of the common people in the public welfare policies of the 'Double Engine BJP Government' led by the Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the dedicated UP Govt to service, security, and good governance," he added.

The chief minister also congratulated the winning candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan. He said, "Congratulations to the winning candidate Shri Chandrabhanu Paswan ji and hearty greetings to the God-like people of Milkipur Assembly constituency who gave their votes to the development journey and good governance of Uttar Pradesh!"

In Tamil Nadu’s Erode East, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is on course for a decisive win after 12 rounds of counting. The party holds a commanding lead of 83,324 votes, while Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate Seethalakshmi has secured 17,692 votes.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the results of the Milkipur by-polls will put a full stop to the politics of lies.

He said, "The results of Milkipur by-elections will put a full stop to the politics of 'pariwarwad' (nepotism) and lies. The people have made it clear that no matter how much propaganda is done by the Samajwadi Party, the public is going to punish them."

Aparna Bisht Yadav, Vice Chairperson of the UP Women Commission and BJP leader said, "This is a consequence of the faith people have in PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath."

As per the Election Commission website, after 25 rounds of counting in Milkipur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan maintains leading with 1,39,507 votes, while his rival, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Ajit Prasad, trails behind with 79,210 votes.

BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan extended his lead by 96,490 votes over Samajwadi Party's (SP) Ajit Prasad after 19 rounds of counting in the Milkipur assembly bypoll on Saturday, according to the Election Commission website.

Paswan secured 58,327 votes, while Ajit Prasad, son of SP's Faizabad MP Awadhesh Prasad, received 27,234 votes. Santosh Kumar of the Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) trailed in third place with 93,128 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated after Awadhesh Prasad vacated the seat upon his election to the Lok Sabha last year. While the SP aims to retain the constituency, the BJP views the election as a chance to avenge its defeat in Faizabad during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In Tamil Nadu’s Erode East, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is on course for a decisive win after five rounds of counting. The party holds a commanding lead of 37,077 votes, while Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate Seethalakshmi has secured 29,396 votes.

As per the Election Commission website, after 15 rounds of counting in Milkipur, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan maintains leading with 78,081 votes, while his rival, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Ajit Prasad, trails behind with 38,792 votes.

Regarding the Milkipur by-election results, where BJP candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan is leading, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma stated, "The positive results in Milkipur symbolise a breakdown of Samajwadi Party's arrogance over the Lok Sabha elections. Samajwadi Party should democratically accept the defeat with love..."

The DMK appeared headed for a decisive victory in the Erode East by-election, with its candidate V. C. Chandrakumar taking a commanding lead as vote-counting progressed on Thursday. By 11 AM, Chandrakumar had secured 30,798 votes, leading by a margin of 24,864 votes, while NTK candidate Seethalakshmi had garnered 5,934 votes.

After casting his vote on February 5, Chandrakumar expressed confidence in the ruling party’s success, stating that their victory would set the stage for the 2026 assembly elections. “The people are satisfied with the government’s performance. There is no discontent like in North Indian states, where bypolls are imposed due to political maneuvering. This is a natural election,” he remarked.

The DMK is poised for a decisive victory in the Erode East by-election, with its candidate, V C Chandrakumar, securing a significant lead as vote counting progressed on Thursday.

By the third round, Chandrakumar had garnered 28,424 votes, maintaining a strong advantage over his nearest competitor, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate M K Seethalakshmi, who had received 4,050 votes. This resulted in a substantial lead of 24,374 votes, highlighting DMK’s dominance in a contest where major opposition parties, including AIADMK and BJP, opted out.

The bypoll, conducted on February 5, saw a voter turnout of 67.97%, with 1,54,657 voters participating. The counting process consists of 17 rounds, with the final results expected by evening.

The election was necessitated following the demise of veteran Congress leader EVKS Elangovan, who had won the seat in a 2023 bypoll after the sudden passing of his son, Thirumagan Evera, due to a heart attack in January 2023. In the previous election, Elangovan secured a landslide victory with a margin of 66,233 votes, defeating AIADMK’s K S Thenarassu, while NTK’s Menaka Navaneethan managed 10,827 votes.

Uttar Pradesh Minister OP Rajbhar, commenting on the early trends showing BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan in the lead, stated on Saturday, "I had already said earlier that the NDA candidate will win with a majority. The public wants development and they are happy with the work by Yogi ji,”

On Milkipur By-Election results, Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad, speaking to PTI, stated, "The counting is underway and the results will make history. BJP has done scams at a large scale and we submitted a verbatim to the Election Commission... but no action was taken against it. Even after so much corruption, BJP will lose and Samajwadi Party will win with majority."

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), as reported by the news agency PTI, DMK's Chandrakumar is leading NTTK's Seethalakshmi by over 5,500 votes after the first round of counting in the Erode East by-election.

According to early trends from the Election Commission, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chandrabhanu Paswan is leading in Milkipur with 6,082 votes, while his competitor, Samajwadi Party (SP)’s Ajit Prasad is trails with 3,991 votes.

Speaking to PTI on Saturday about the Milkipur by-election results, Uttar Pradesh Minister Sanjay Nishad said, "Let the results be announced. We will secure victory in Milkipur, and a change will come in Delhi as well."

The counting of votes for the February 5 by-election in the Erode East Assembly segment began on Saturday morning.

The process started at 8 AM at a government college in Chithode, with postal ballots counted first, followed by the opening of EVMs.

A total of 46 candidates are in the race, including 44 independents. The key battle is between VC Chandirakumar of the ruling DMK and M K Seethalakshmi of the Tamil nationalist party, Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK).

The main opposition AIADMK and other opposition parties have boycotted the election. The bypoll was necessitated by the passing of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan last year.

The counting of votes for the Milkipur assembly bypoll began under tight security on Saturday. Election officials confirmed that postal ballots would be counted first, followed by votes cast via EVMs across 14 tables.

VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations will be matched with EVM counts for transparency.

The bypoll, held on February 5, saw over 65% voter turnout, surpassing the 2022 Assembly elections.

The contest was primarily between Samajwadi Party’s Ajit Prasad and BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan.

The election was necessitated after Awadhesh Prasad of the Samajwadi Party vacated the seat following his Lok Sabha victory from Faizabad. The BJP aimed to reclaim Milkipur, the only Ayodhya district seat it lost in the 2022 polls.

As the counting of votes begins in Milkipur, security has been intensified at the strong rooms in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, in Erode East, officials have started counting postal votes, unsealing the boxes in the presence of agents from DMK, Naam Tamizhar Katchi, and independent candidates.

The counting of votes for the high-stakes Assembly elections will begin at 8 am on Saturday.

The Milkipur Assembly seat, reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), has been a political battleground between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, SP’s Awadhesh Prasad secured a decisive victory over the incumbent BJP MLA Gorakhnath, reinforcing SP’s influence in the region.

However, the biggest political upset came in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when Awadhesh Prasad, contesting from Faizabad (Ayodhya) on an SP ticket, defeated BJP’s sitting MP Lallu Singh by a significant margin of 54,567 votes, despite the Ram Temple consecration boosting BJP’s campaign.

Following his Lok Sabha win, Awadhesh vacated the Milkipur Assembly seat, necessitating the current by-poll, where his son Ajeet Prasad is contesting to retain SP’s hold against BJP’s Chandrabhanu Paswan.

The by-election was necessitated by the demise of Congress MLA EVKS Elangovan, who had won the February 2023 by-poll with a massive margin of over 66,000 votes. With Congress absent this time, DMK will be keen to retain the seat for the ruling alliance.

Speaking to the press on Saturday, SSP Karan Nayyar stated, "Ahead of the vote counting for the Milkipur bypolls, we have assigned duties in accordance with the Election Commission's guidelines. Party leaders have been informed, and all preparations are complete."

The counting of votes for the high-stakes Assembly elections will begin at 8 am on Saturday.

For Milkipur, it’s a matter of prestige for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP), while in Erode East, the spotlight is on the ruling DMK amid a multi-cornered contest involving numerous independents and regional players.

DMK has fielded former MLA V C Chandrakumar, banking on the party’s strong presence in Tamil Nadu. NTK has nominated M K Seethalakshmi, marking a significant challenge for the Seeman-led party, which is known for its Tamil nationalist stance.

Within the next few hours, Milkipur will know who will emerge victorious in the Milkipur assembly by-election.While the newly elected MLA will celebrate their win, those who fall short will be busy dissecting what went wrong. The big question: Can the BJP avenge its 2022 defeat, or will the Samajwadi Party (SP) hold onto its winning streak?

Welcome to the LIVE blog for the 2025 Erode East By-Election and Milkipur updates!

Stay tuned for the latest developments and results.