GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 23rd June: In a major boost following its electoral setback in Delhi earlier this year, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday clinched the Visavadar Assembly seat in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat. This marks a significant return for the party, which had originally won the seat in 2022 but lost it after its MLA Bhupendra Bhayani switched to the BJP.
Gopal Italia of AAP defeated BJP’s Kirit Patel by over 17,500 votes in a seat that was once a BJP stronghold and the epicentre of the 2015 Patidar agitation. AAP’s Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi hailed the victory as a sign of the party’s growing momentum, asserting, “If there is anyone who can defeat the BJP, it is AAP… we are going to form the government in 2027.”
In Punjab, AAP also retained the Ludhiana West seat, where Sanjay Arora defeated Congress veteran Bharat Bhushan Ashu by over 10,000 votes. The seat was vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Gogi. The win is being viewed as an internal show of strength for AAP, which is in power in the state.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won back the Nilambur seat in Kerala. Aryadan Shoukath, son of late Congress stalwart Aryadan Mohammed, secured victory by over 11,000 votes against CPI(M)’s M Swaraj. The seat was previously held by Independent legislator PV Anvar, who later joined the Trinamool Congress.
In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) appeared poised to retain the Kaliganj seat with candidate Alifa Ahmed, daughter of late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, leading the BJP’s Ashish Ghosh by over 50,000 votes. The result consolidates TMC’s strength in a Muslim-majority constituency with implications for the upcoming 2026 state polls.
The BJP, meanwhile, retained the Kadi seat in Gujarat, where Rajendra Chavda defeated Congress’ Ramesh Chavda by nearly 40,000 votes. The by-election was necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Karshan Solanki, who had won the seat in 2017 and 2022.
The bypolls were held on June 19 across five Assembly constituencies in Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, and West Bengal. While the BJP managed to hold Kadi, the results reflect emerging shifts in regional dynamics and underline continued friction between AAP and Congress, despite their alliance under the INDIA bloc.
