By-elections were held this week in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, with the results being announced on February 8. BJP's Chandrabhanu Paswan won the Milkipur seat with a large margin of 61,710 votes, defeating Samajwadi Party's Ajit Prasad. In Erode East, Tamil Nadu, DMK's Chandhirakumar VC is leading by a significant margin.

The Samajwadi Party and the BJP are engaged in a prestige struggle over the Milkipur seat, which is located in the politically vital Ayodhya district. With the majority of opposition parties abstaining from the election, the DMK is anticipated to easily win the Erode East by-election. In the 2023 elections, Congressman EVKS Elangovan won the seat in Erode by a margin of 66,233 votes. His passing in mid-December triggered by-elections, and only two major parties chose to run.

A total of 46 candidates participated in the election, including 44 independents. However, the main contest was between the ruling DMK's candidate, VC Chandirakumar, and M.K. Seethalakshmi from the Tamil nationalist party, Naam Tamizhar Katchi. The opposition parties, including the main opposition AIADMK, chose to boycott the polls.