Congress Edges Ahead in Nilambur, AAP Maintains Lead in Ludhiana West, Visavadar Remains a Cliffhanger🗳️

Counting Underway in Five Assembly Bypolls Across Four States: Early Leads Emerge🗳️

Latest trends show the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) leading in Kerala’s Nilambur, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has gained an edge in Punjab’s Ludhiana West and Gujarat’s Visavadar. In West Bengal’s Kaliganj, the Trinamool Congress appears comfortably ahead, while the BJP leads in Gujarat’s Kadi constituency.

Counting of votes for these five assembly bypolls began on Monday, following elections held on June 19. The results will signal the current standing of the BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, with special focus on Kerala and West Bengal where assembly elections are due next year. AAP’s performance is also under close watch after its recent Delhi setback.

Kerala: Prestige Fight for Congress🌴

In Nilambur, the Congress-led UDF’s Aryadan Shoukath, who contested in 2016, is in the lead. This bypoll carries symbolic weight for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as Nilambur falls within her Wayanad parliamentary constituency, where she campaigned vigorously.

The seat fell vacant after Left-backed independent MLA PV Anvar resigned due to a rift with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Anvar, who narrowly won in 2021, has since joined the Trinamool Congress. The LDF has fielded M Swaraj, while the BJP’s candidate is Advocate Mohan George.

Punjab: Test of AAP’s Hold🌾

In Ludhiana West, AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, a former Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist, is ahead. The seat was vacated after sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died by suicide earlier this year.

This bypoll will reveal if AAP retains its stronghold in Punjab. Key AAP leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Atishi campaigned extensively for Arora. Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu trails behind, while BJP’s Jiwan Gupta is in third place. Historically, Congress has dominated this seat, winning six times since 1977.

Gujarat: Mixed Bag for AAP and BJP🗺️

In Gujarat, AAP has staged a comeback in Visavadar after trailing early on, while BJP holds a strong lead in Kadi.

Visavadar was vacated in 2023 after AAP’s Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP. BJP has fielded Kirit Patel, their former district president, to reclaim the seat for the first time since 2007. AAP’s candidate is Gopal Italia, notable for his role in the 2015 Patidar agitation. Congress’s Nitin Ranpariya is a distant third.

In Kadi, the BJP’s Rajendra Chavda is leading by over 16,000 votes. The seat, reserved for Scheduled Castes in Mehsana district, was vacated after BJP MLA Karsan Solanki passed away earlier this year. Congress has fielded Ramesh Chavda and AAP’s candidate is Jagdish Chavda. Ramesh Chavda had previously won this seat in 2012.

West Bengal: Trinamool Retains Stronghold🌾

In Kaliganj, Nadia district, Trinamool Congress’s Alifa Ahmed, daughter of the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, is comfortably ahead of Congress’s Kabil Uddin Shaaikh. The seat was vacated after her father’s death in February.

Kaliganj, a predominantly rural seat with a Muslim majority of about 54 per cent, is an important battleground for Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the BJP before the 2026 Assembly polls. The BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh in this contest.

Stay tuned for final results! 🗳️✨