The LDF-backed candidate lost the Nilambur seat in Kerala to the Congress party in a recent political upheaval during the by-elections. In the meantime, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is in power in West Bengal, managed to hold onto the Kaliganj seat in spite of opposition and controversy.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had suffered a crushing defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections earlier this year, received much-needed positive news on Monday. The party managed to retain the seats of Ludhiana West in Punjab and Visavadar in Gujarat at the assembly by-elections. On Monday, the outcomes of the five constituencies’ June 19 by-elections were revealed.
State-Wise Highlights
Gujarat
The Election Commission of India reports that Gopal Italia, a former state president and AAP candidate, defeated Kirit Patel of the BJP in Visavadar by a margin of 17,554 votes. The BJP hasn’t been able to win this seat since 2007, despite its near-total control of Gujarat.
Nonetheless, the BJP was able to hold onto the Kadi seat, where Rajendra Chavda defeated Ramesh Chavda of the Congress by an overwhelming 39,452 votes. After BJP MLA Karshanbhai Punjabhai Solanki passed away in February, a by-election was held in Kadi. When Bhupendrabhai Bhayani, a former AAP MLA, left the party and joined the BJP, the Visavadar by-election was called.
The Punjab
In Punjab, Sanjeev Arora defeated Congressman Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes, ensuring the ruling AAP kept the Ludhiana West seat. Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal responded to the win by confirming that Arora would not be serving as a Rajya Sabha member because he was now an MLA. In response to a question about Arora’s replacement in the upper house, Kejriwal stated,
“I’ve been sent to the Rajya Sabha several times, but this time I won’t be going. The nomination process will be determined by the Political Affairs Committee.
Kerala
The Congress-led UDF regained the Nilambur assembly seat by a margin of 11,077 votes, which was a blow to the LDF government in Kerala. The late Congress politician Aryadan Muhammad’s son, Aryadan Shoukath, defeated M. Swaraj, a member of the state secretariat for the CPI(M). After independent MLA P.V. Anwar, who had twice won with LDF backing, resigned due to disagreements with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the Nilambur seat was left empty. Later, Anwar ran unsuccessfully in the by-election as an independent supported by the Trinamool Congress.
Bengal’s West
In West Bengal’s Kaliganj seat, TMC’s Alifa Ahmed secured a sweeping victory over BJP’s Ashish Ghosh, winning by an impressive margin of 50,049 votes. Kabeeluddin Sheikh of the Congress received 28,348 votes, placing him in third place. Following the passing of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, the seat became vacant. Given the numerous scandals, including the loss of more than 25,000 teaching and non-teaching positions in state-run schools, this election was viewed as a litmus test for the TMC and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
After the victory, Mamata Banerjee posted on X (previously Twitter) to thank everyone, saying, “Voters from all communities, castes, religions, and geographical areas have rewarded us with their ballots in the Kaliganj bypoll. I sincerely appreciate all of them.