Bypoll Results: AAP Scores In Gujarat, Punjab; Congress Upsets LDF In Kerala, TMC Sweeps Bengal Seat
In a significant round of bypolls held on June 19 across five Assembly constituencies in four states, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) recorded key victories in Gujarat and Punjab, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) delivered a blow to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained its hold with a resounding win in Nadia district.
AAP’s Gopal Italia Triumphs in Gujarat’s Visavadar
In Gujarat, AAP’s former state president Gopal Italia emerged victorious in the Visavadar seat in Junagadh district, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kirit Patel by 17,554 votes, according to data from the Election Commission. Notably, the BJP has not secured this seat since 2007. The vacancy arose following the resignation of AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani in December 2023, who later joined the BJP.
In another Gujarat contest, BJP retained the Kadi seat in Mehsana district, with its candidate Rajendra Chavda defeating Congress’ Ramesh Chavda by a margin of 39,452 votes. The seat, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, was vacant following the demise of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki in February.
Taking responsibility for the party’s performance, Gujarat Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil stepped down following losses in Visavadar and Kadi.
AAP Holds Ground in Punjab, Defeats Congress in Ludhiana West
In Punjab, the ruling AAP successfully defended the Ludhiana West constituency. Candidate Sanjeev Arora defeated Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes, securing 35,179 votes compared to Ashu’s 24,542. BJP’s Jiwan Gupta garnered 20,323 votes, while Shiromani Akali Dal’s Parupkar Singh Ghuman received 8,203.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi earlier this year.
Celebrating the twin victories, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal described the bypolls as a “semi-final to 2027,” stating on X, “Both the parties, Congress and BJP, contested the elections together in both places. Both of them had the same objective - to defeat AAP. But people rejected both these parties in both the places.”
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also hailed the result, calling it proof of public satisfaction with his government’s performance. “We are working day and night with complete honesty and without any discrimination for the progress and prosperity of Punjab,” he said, as per news agency PTI.
Congress Wrests Kerala’s Nilambur From LDF
In Kerala, the Congress-led UDF claimed the Nilambur constituency, defeating the CPI(M) in a tightly fought contest. Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath, son of the late party veteran Aryadan Muhammed, triumphed over CPI(M) state secretariat member M Swaraj by 11,077 votes.
The seat became vacant after the resignation of P V Anvar, a two-time MLA and LDF-backed independent, triggering a high-stakes contest in the forest-adjacent region.
This marks the fourth bypoll defeat for the LDF during the tenure of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s second term, following earlier losses in Puthuppally, Palakkad, and Thrikkakara.
CPI(M) leaders said they respected the verdict and would analyse the outcome. However, Swaraj dismissed any suggestions of anti-incumbency, while Shoukath remarked, “It was a victory anticipated by the people of Kerala – a major win against the LDF government.”
Anvar, running again as an independent, managed to post a strong performance, surprising both fronts.
TMC’s Alifa Ahmed Scores Landslide in Kaliganj
In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress maintained its grip on the Kaliganj Assembly seat with candidate Alifa Ahmed securing a massive win over BJP’s Ashish Ghosh. Ahmed polled 1,02,759 votes, defeating Ghosh by a margin of 50,049 votes. Congress-Left backed candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh came in third with 28,348 votes, as per Election Commission data.
Alifa Ahmed, a 38-year-old engineer who left her IT job in Kolkata to enter politics, succeeded her late father and former MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose death in February triggered the bypoll.
Thanking voters for the support, she attributed the victory to the faith in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s developmental agenda. In a post on X, Mamata wrote, “People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency. I humbly express my gratitude to them. The main architects of this victory are ‘Mother, Land and People’. My colleagues from Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this….”
elections