AAP Wins Two Assembly Seats in Bypolls; BJP, Congress & TMC Secure One Each
On June 23, the results of assembly bypolls in four Indian states were declared. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged victorious in two seats—Gujarat's Visavadar and Punjab’s Ludhiana West. Meanwhile, Congress won Kerala’s Nilambur seat from the ruling LDF. BJP retained the Kadi seat in Gujarat, and Trinamool Congress held on to West Bengal’s Kaliganj seat.
Bypoll Summary Across Five Constituencies
Voting for five assembly constituencies across four states was held on June 19, 2025. AAP secured two wins, while BJP, TMC, and Congress each won one seat.
AAP's Gopal Italia Wins in Gujarat
Gopal Italia, former state president of AAP in Gujarat, won the Visavadar seat in Junagadh district by defeating BJP’s Kirit Patel by a margin of 17,554 votes. The seat was vacated after the resignation of AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani in December 2023. BJP has not won this seat since 2007.
AAP Retains Ludhiana West in Punjab
In Punjab, AAP’s Sanjeev Arora retained the Ludhiana West assembly seat by defeating Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu with a margin of 10,637 votes. Arora secured 35,179 votes, while Ashu received 24,542 votes. BJP’s Jeevan Gupta got 20,323 votes and Shiromani Akali Dal’s Paropkar Singh Ghuman only managed 8,203. The seat fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.
Arvind Kejriwal Calls It a 'Semifinal for 2027'
AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal called the bypolls a "semifinal for 2027", suggesting that the public is rejecting both BJP and Congress ahead of the assembly elections in Gujarat and Punjab in 2027.
BJP Wins Kadi Seat in Gujarat
BJP's Rajendra Chawda won the Kadi seat in Mehsana district, reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), defeating Congress’ Ramesh Chawda by a margin of 39,452 votes. The seat was vacated following the death of BJP MLA Karshan Solanki in February. Following the party's loss in both Kadi and Visavadar, Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil resigned from his position.
Congress Snatches Nilambur in Kerala
Congress-led UDF defeated CPI(M)'s M. Swaraj in the Nilambur constituency by a margin of 11,077 votes. Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukat emerged victorious. This marks the fourth bypoll loss for the LDF government in Kerala under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, following defeats in Puthuppally, Palakkad, and Thrikkakara.
TMC Retains Kaliganj in West Bengal
In West Bengal, TMC's Alifa Ahmed won the Kaliganj seat in Nadia district, defeating BJP’s Ashish Ghosh by a significant margin of 50,049 votes. The seat was vacant due to the death of her father, former MLA Naseeruddin Ahmed. Alifa received 102,759 votes, while Ghosh secured 52,710 votes.