Bypoll booster to AAP, Wins in Gujarat and Punjab

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) secured a massive win in Kerala's Nilambur, while the AAP punched above its weight to bag Gujarat's Visavadar and Punjab's Ludhiana West in the assembly by-polls. Meanwhile, the BJP secured a massive win in Gujarat's Kadi. The Trinamool Congress is going to retain Kaliganj in West Bengal, which goes to polls next year.

The Nilambur by-poll was seen as a prestige battle as it is part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat represented by Priyanka Gandhi. The results will test the political mettle of the BJP and the INDIA bloc, especially in West Bengal and Kerala, where elections are slated for next year. The encouraging performance of the AAP, which has kept a low profile since its loss in the Delhi Assembly polls, will also give it a boost.

Kerala: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which fielded its 2016 candidate Aryadan Shoukath, won the Nilambur seat by over 11,000 votes, defeating the ruling Left's M Swaraj. The seat was vacated by Left-backed independent legislator PV Anvar after he resigned following his fallout with Vijayan. 

Punjab: The AAP retained the Ludhiana West seat, with former Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist Sanjeev Arora winning by a margin of over 10,000 votes. The by-poll was being seen as a litmus test for the AAP, which has kept a low profile since its loss in the Delhi Assembly polls. Congress's Bharat Bhushan Ashu was the runner-up, ahead of BJP's Jiwan Gupta. The seat fell vacant after sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi died of a self-inflicted bullet injury in January.

Gujarat: AAP former state president Gopal Italia turned out to be a giant slayer as he defeated former BJP district president Kirit Patel in Visavadar. Italia, who bagged 75,942 votes, won by a handsome margin of over 17,000 votes in a state that has been the BJP's bastion. The BJP hasn't won the seat since 2007 and was hoping to break the 18-year jinx. Italia shot to fame during the 2015 Patidar agitation in the state. The seat has been vacant since 2023 after the then AAP legislator Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP.

In Kadi, the BJP's Rajendra Chavda has secured the seat, winning by a margin of over 39,000 votes. The seat has been vacant since February following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki.

Bengal: In Kaliganj constituency, which falls under Nadia district, the ruling Trinamool Congress's candidate, Alifa Ahmed, has taken a substantial lead. At 3.45 pm Alifa Ahmed was leading the BJP's Ashish Ghosh by over 50,000 votes, making a victory for Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee's party almost certain. The by-poll was necessitated due to the death of Alifa's father and Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February.