The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is ahead in Kerala’s Nilambur while the AAP has taken the lead in Punjab’s Ludhiana West, show latest trends.
The Trinamool Congress is in the driver’s seat in Kaliganj in West Bengal, which goes to polls next year, while the BJP is leading in Gujarat’s Kadi and Visavadar – where it is hoping to break an 18-year jinx.
The counting for assembly bypolls in the five constituencies across four states began on Monday. The for two seats in Gujarat – Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats – and one each in Punjab (Ludhiana West), Bengal (Kaliganj), and Kerala (Nilambur).
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 performance of the AAP, which has kept a low profile since its loss in the Delhi Assembly polls, will also be closely watched in Gujarat and Punjab.
KERALA BYPOLL
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which fielded its 2016 candidate Aryadan Shoukath, has taken the lead in the Nilambur seat in Kerala.
The contest is being seen as a prestige battle for Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The seat falls within her Wayanad constituency, and she had held a roadshow in the region ahead of the June 19 bypolls.
The seat was vacated by Left-backed independent legislator PV Anvar after he resigned following his fallout with Vijayan. Anvar, who won the seat by a margin of only 2,700 votes in 2021, joined the Trinamool Congress.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielded M Swaraj for the crucial battle. The BJP has fielded Advocate Mohan George for the Nilambur seat.
PUNJAB BYPOLL
Former Rajya Sabha MP of the AAP and industrialist Sanjeev Arora is leading in the Ludhiana West byelection, whose result will give an inkling whether the ruling party still enjoys its popularity in Punjab or not. Congress’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu is in the second spot, 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.
The AAP, which has been licking its wounds since the loss in the Delhi Assembly elections, will aim to retain the seat. Its top brass – Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Atishi – campaigned extensively in Ludhiana for Arora.
The Congress has won the seat six times since its creation in 1977, while the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) has won it twice.
GUJARAT BYPOLLS
The BJP is leading in both Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats.
The BJP, which fielded its former district president Kirit Patel in Visavadar, is looking to wrest the seat, which the party hasn’t won since 2007. AAP, which nominated former state president Gopal Italia, is close behind. 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. Making the contest triangular is Congress’s Nitin Ranpariya, who is at a distant third.
The BJP is also leading in Kadi. The seat has been vacant since February following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. Coming under the Mehsana district, the constituency is reserved for Schedule Caste candidates.
The BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda from the constituency, while the Congress and the AAP opted for Ramesh Chavda and Jagdish Chavda, respectively. Ramesh Chavda won the seat in 2012.
BENGAL BYPOLL
In Bengal’s Kaliganj constituency, which falls under Nadia district, the ruling Trinamool Congress’s candidate, Alifa Ahmed, has taken a substantial lead ahead of her nearest rival, Congress’s Kabil Uddin Shaaikh.
The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Alifa’s father and Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February. The BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh for the seat.
A predominantly rural seat, Kaliganj has a Muslim voter population of around 54 per cent. The Kaliganj bypoll is seen as a vital face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool and the BJP ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.