On Monday, June 24, the Election Commission of India (ECI) began counting votes for the important Bypoll Results 2025 for five constituencies in Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, and West Bengal. The bypolls that took place on June 19, right before numerous important state elections due in 2026, are considered to be indicative or a mini-referendum.
According to the latest update from the ECI, there are early trends showing a contest between four parties. In the AAP, BJP, Indian National Congress, and the Trinamool Congress, all parties were leading in different regions.
State-Wise Leads and Political Stakes
Punjab – Ludhiana West
In a key seat for the ruling party, AAP’s Sanjeev Arora, former Rajya Sabha MP, industrialist, is leading there. This seat was vacated with the death by suicide of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. It was bad timing since Arora received high-profile endorsements with Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia doing campaign rallies for him.
Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu is behind him, and BJP’s Jiwan Gupta is in third place. The Ludhiana West bypoll is going to indicate AAP’s ongoing support in Punjab after suffering significant losses in Delhi recently.
Kerala – Nilambur
In Nilambur, Congress’s Aryadan Shoukath is ahead, giving the United Democratic Front (UDF) a much-needed lift. The bypoll garnered national focus because Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came to the constituency to do a roadshow for her and Congress.
A few months ago, Left-backed independent MLA P.V. Anvar resigned to join the TMC, leaving the seat vacant. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielded M. Swaraj and the BJP fielded Advocate Mohan George.
Nilambur has a history of narrow margins and is becoming, therefore, a prestige battle for Congress in Kerala.
West Bengal – Kaliganj
TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed is leading in Kaliganj. The seat became vacant after her father and TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed died in February. While Congress’s Kabil Uddin Shaikh and the BJP’s Ashish Ghosh are close together in the race, TMC holds a good lead.
Kaliganj, which is about 54% Muslim, is seen as a key test of Mamata Banerjee’s hold on rural Bengal ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Gujarat – Visavadar and Kadi
The BJP is ahead in Visavadar and Kadi seats, which have crucial political meaning for both the BJP and AAP.
In Visavadar, Kirit Patel of BJP is attempting to break the party’s 18 year-old losing streak in the area, while AAP’s Gopal Italia, a prominent figure from the 2015 Patidar agitation, is not far behind. Earlier, the seat was held by Bhupendra Bhayani, who left the AAP party and joined BJP, causing the bypoll.
In Kadi, BJP’s Rajendra Chavda is leading the race. Since the passing of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki, who’s seat is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, both Congress and AAP have Ramesh Chavda and Jagdish Chavda contesting, respectively.
Why These Bypolls Matter
The bypolls represent more than local elections these bypolls could be early indicators of the political landscape as the country approaches the 2026 Assembly elections for several states, creating exciting possibilities. While the INDIA bloc is testing its strength and unity, the BJP is attempting to expand and win back territory in states run by opposition parties.
With its recent loss in the Delhi Assembly, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is struggling to stay relevant, having been made irrelevant in Delhi. It now hopes to establish a foothold in Punjab and Gujarat.
The results will also indicate how local voters are responding to national narratives, particularly in states where contestation remains close and there continues to be multi-cornered formats.
Although full results are pending, and will be reviewed in this editorial, early trends suggest a dynamic political football, with no one party sweeping all seats offered. The bypoll results in 2025 share opinions and demand of local political matters that will hopefully influence the direction of strategies as we build towards Assembly elections in 2026.
Voter turn out, the credibility of candidates, and national oscillations all appear to be playing pivotal roles in outcomes in this round of by-elections. The final results will shed light on whether early trends are true, or whether there were surprises that late swings showed effects in the political equation.
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