After a crushing defeat in Delhi, AAP won a major victory in the by -elections in Ludhiana West and Gujarat in Gujarat, putting his political future at stake. Meanwhile, Congress -led United Democratic Front (UDF) won a decisive victory in Nilambur, Kerala. The BJP took possession of Kadi of Gujarat only despite fielding candidates in all five by -elections. The Trinamool Congress is forwarding to retain Kaliganj in West Bengal, where elections are to be held next year.
The AAP gave his best in the Ludhiana West by -election, with its top leaders – Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Atishi – campaigned extensively for Arora. In fact, Kejriwal personally took care of the campaign, while the Punjab elections have less than two years left. The Nilambur by -election was seen as a fight for prestige as it is part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat represented by Priyanka Gandhi.
The by -elections tested the political potential of the BJP and the India block, especially in West Bengal and Kerala, where elections are to be held next year. The AAP’s encouraging performance will also promote it since the defeat in the Delhi assembly elections. The Kerala by -election Congress -led United Democratic Front (UDF), who fielded its 2016 candidate Aryadan Shaukat, defeated the ruling leftist M. Swaraj on the Nilambur seat in Kerala by more than 11,000 votes. Shaukat, whose father Aryadan Mohammad won the seat eight times, got 77,737 votes. M. Swaraj received 66,660 votes. The win is a major victory for the Congress -led UDF ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. What makes it even more sweet is that Nilambur is traditionally being a stronghold of leftists. This match was being seen as a fight for reputation for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra of Congress. The seat comes in his Wayanad constituency and did a road show in the region before the by -election to be held on June 19.
After differences with Vijayan, Left -backed Independent MLA PV Anwar resigned and vacated the seat. Anwar Trinamool, who won the seat by a margin of only 2,700 votes in 2021, joined the Congress. The BJP fielded Advocate Mohan George for the Nilambur seat.
Punjab by -election
AAP retained Ludhiana West seat, in which former Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist Sanjeev Arora won by a margin of more than 10,000 votes. The by -election was being seen as a litmus test for you, which has maintained a lesser profile since the defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections. Bharat Bhushan Ashu of Congress finished second, while BJP’s Jeevan Gupta finished second. In January, this seat was vacant after AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died after being shot.
Since its formation in 1977, the Congress has won the seat six times, while Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has won twice. The BJP has never won this seat. In a post on X, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal said that the party won both seats by almost double a margin than the previous elections. He tweeted, “This shows that the people of Punjab are very happy with our government’s work and they have voted even more in our favor as compared to 2022. The people of Gujarat are now fed up with the BJP and they see hope in you.”
Gujarat by -election
Former AAP state president Gopal Italia won a big victory by defeating former BJP district president Kirit Patel in Visavadar. Italia won 75,942 votes and won the BJP’s stronghold by a great margin of over 17,000 votes. The BJP has not won this seat since 2007 and was hoping to break this 18 -year -old misfortune. Italia came into the limelight during the 2015 Patidar movement in the state. The seat has been vacant since 2023 after the then AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined BJP.
Kerala by -election
In Kerala, BJP’s Rajendra Chavda has won the seat by winning by a margin of more than 39,000 votes. This seat is vacant since February after the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. This constituency under Mehsana district is reserved for scheduled caste candidates. In the triangular contest, Congress and AAP fielded Ramesh Chavda and Jagdish Chavda respectively. Ramesh Chavda won the seat in 2012.
Bengal by -election
In the Kaliganj constituency of Bengal, which falls under Nadia district, the ruling Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed has gained a lot from his nearest rival, Congress’s capable Uddin Sheikh. The by -election was required due to the death of Alifa’s father and Trinamool Congress MLA Naseeruddin Ahmed in February. The BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh for this seat. Mainly the rural seat, Kaliganj, has a population of Muslim voters about 54 percent. The Kaliganj by -election is being seen as an important contest between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and BJP before next year’s assembly elections.
