Assembly bypolls: Results for four seats declared, here is who won

The by-election results declared on Monday, across five Assembly constituencies in Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal, offer a revealing glimpse into the evolving contours of India’s regional political landscape.  

Gujarat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) split the honours. BJP’s Rajendrakumar Chavda secured a decisive victory in the Kadi (SC) constituency, defeating Congress’s Rameshbhai Chavda by a margin exceeding 38,000 votes. This result reaffirms the BJP’s formidable organisational machinery in Gujarat, where it currently holds 161 of 182 Assembly seats.

However, AAP’s Gopal Italia reclaimed the Visavadar seat – previously lost to BJP following a defection – by defeating Kirit Patel with a margin of over 17,000 votes. Italia’s return to the Assembly not only restores AAP’s legislative presence in the state but also signals the party’s continued relevance in Gujarat’s political discourse, particularly in Saurashtra, where it had made modest inroads during the 2022 Assembly elections.

Kerala

Kerala’s Nilambur constituency witnessed a symbolic victory for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), with Aryadan Shoukath defeating CPI(M)’s M Swaraj by over 11,000 votes. 

The seat, previously held by a CPI(M)-backed independent, returns to the Congress fold after nearly a decade.

Punjab

In Punjab, AAP’s Sanjeev Arora retained the Ludhiana West seat, albeit with a relatively low voter turnout of 51.33%. Arora, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, is expected to vacate his upper house seat, potentially paving the way for AAP to nominate a high-profile leader – possibly Arvind Kejriwal – to the Rajya Sabha. 

AAP, which swept the 2022 Assembly elections with 92 of 117 seats, has since faced challenges in governance and internal cohesion, making this bypoll a modest but necessary reaffirmation of its mandate.

West Bengal

West Bengal’s Kaliganj seat remained with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), where Alifa Ahmed, daughter of the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed, secured a comfortable victory. 

The TMC’s retention of the seat underscores its enduring grip on rural Bengal, where it has consistently outperformed both the BJP and the Congress-Left alliance. With 215 of 294 seats in the Assembly, the TMC remains the dominant force in the state, and this by-election result reinforces its organisational depth and voter loyalty. 

The BJP continues to consolidate its position in Gujarat, the Congress gains a symbolic foothold in Kerala, AAP maintains its urban base in Punjab, and the TMC sustains its rural dominance in Bengal.

However, the results also highlight the strategic importance of candidate selection, local credibility, and issue-based campaigning – factors that have increasingly shaped electoral outcomes in recent years.

(This story was taken from a syndicated feed and was only edited for style by Gujarat Samachar Digital team)