The assembly bypolls held across five key constituencies—Nilambur (Kerala), Ludhiana West (Punjab), Kaliganj (West Bengal), Visavadar and Kadi (both in Gujarat)—have delivered early trends showing significant inroads by the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath has taken a commanding lead in Nilambur, surpassing CPI(M)’s M Swaraj by more than 10,000 votes. The election in Nilambur gained political weight following the resignation of LDF-backed independent MLA PV Anvar, who later switched sides to the Trinamool Congress, sparking a showdown between Kerala’s ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition UDF.
Meanwhile, AAP has made strong gains in the northern and western regions of India. In Visavadar, Gujarat, AAP’s former state president Italia Gopal is ahead of BJP’s Kirit Patel with a margin of over 7,200 votes, while Congress trails at a distant third. The party has also retained Ludhiana West in Punjab, where Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora leads with a margin of more than 3,200 votes against Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu. The Ludhiana West seat was vacated following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi earlier this year, making this a critical seat for AAP to defend.
On the BJP front, Rajendra Chavda holds a strong lead in Kadi, Gujarat, over Congress’ Ramesh Chavda by over 27,000 votes. The seat was left vacant after the demise of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki. In West Bengal’s Kaliganj constituency, Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate Alifa Ahmed is leading by a significant margin of 19,164 votes over Congress rival Kabil Uddin Shaikh. With the counting still underway, these trends reflect a mixed political landscape, showcasing regional dominance by various parties and setting the tone for future electoral battles ahead of the next general elections.
