A notable political development occurred during the 2025 Gujarat bypolls. In a contest between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Italia and several other candidates in Visavadar constituency, Italia emerged as the winner while also breaking an 18-year winning streak for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seat. Meanwhile, the BJP successfully retained the Kadi seat in Mehsana district, as confirmed by officials as counting concluded on Monday.
The by-elections took place on June 19 for both seats. Voter turnout in Kadi was 57.90% and 56.89% in Visavadar, according to the Election Commission. The Visavadar seat in Junagadh district originally vacated in December 2023 by AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani who later joined the BJP.
Gopal Italia’s victory represents a key revival moment for AAP in Gujarat. Importantly, while the BJP dominates the Gujarat Assembly – with 161 of 182 elected seats – it had not won the Visavadar seat since 2007, and therefore, this by-election was a chance for BJP leaders to get past the jinx in the constituency. Nonetheless, through a strategic grassroots campaign, and connecting at the local level, AAP succeeded in reclaiming the seat.
#WATCH | AAP’s Sanjeev Arora nears victory in Ludhiana West (Punjab) by-election and Gopal Italia wins Visavadar (Gujarat) by-election.
Punjab AAP incharge, Manish Sisodia says, “This is a matter of great joy for every worker of AAP that the party has won two seats in… pic.twitter.com/qRunQJKpp5
— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2025
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, AAP’s Bhupendra Bhayani had defeated BJP candidate Harshad Ribadiya, a Congress defector, with a margin of 7,063 votes, in effect providing AAP a base to cement their foothold in the area.
After the results were released, AAP Gujarat posted a gratitude message on X (formerly Twitter), “Many many thanks to the people of Visavadar, Bhensan, and villagers of Junagadh for voting for the politics of work of the Aam Aadmi Party.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi AAP president and cabinet minister, called the win a “huge victory” and a “great bounce back.” Bharadwaj said, “Political analysts (the main media) were saying that AAP will no longer exist as a party. But AAP is winning Ludhiana West – after the loss in Delhi, and is winning a by p-election in Gujarat’s var-stronghold. This is a sizeable victory.”
He further added, “Some were saying Arvind Kejriwal would be sidelined in national politics, but this is a terrific bounce back.”
In terms of overall composition, the Gujarat Assembly remains heavily dominated by the BJP with 161 members. The Congress holds 12 seats, and AAP now retains four. One seat belongs to the Samajwadi Party and two to independent candidates.
The Kadi seat, which also went to polls on June 19, was retained by the BJP. While the exact vote margin is yet to be officially declared, early trends confirmed BJP’s strong lead and eventual win. The Kadi seat, situated in the Mehsana district, recorded slightly higher voter turnout than Visavadar.
Political analysts have pointed out that the resultant election confirmation may provide a lasting reminder of AAP’s continued allure in some pockets of Gujarat state. Despite losses elsewhere including in Delhi, AAP has managed to hold its ground in the places where the party has it strongholds as an option. This victory by Italia also serves to bolster the spirits of AAP’s foot soldiers in the state and the party in general.
The by-elections were notable not only since the observers identified AAP’s recent deal in large part depended on Israel’s position as they translated the AAP victory in Gujarat elections as early indicators, in comparison with a national election. While BJP overall is in charge of the political direction, AAP is showing it cannot be written off.
With Italia’s victory, the AAP recovered a degree of credibility within Gujarat political borders and potentially some momentum as they evaluare lingering defeats in recent elections. For the BJP, retaining Kadi will create stability on its overall interims on assembly strength, while they will avoid significant internal reviews weighing on their candidacy in Visavadar.
As the political narrative develops, all eyes will now turn into focus to political maneuvering for elections in 2025 and 2026 across India from these by-elections.
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