Assembly bypolls 2025: BJP, AAP, TMC retain sitting seats, Congress claims Nilambur

New Delhi: BJP, AAP and Trinamool Congress retained their four sitting seats in bypolls on Thursday while Congress snatched one held by a former Left-backed independent in Kerala putting the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front on backfoot just a year ahead of Assembly elections.

AAP won its two sitting seats in Gujarat’s Visavadar and Punjab’s Ludhiana West while it was pushed a distant third in Gujarat’s Kadi where the BJP retained the seat. Trinamool Congress won the Kaliganj seat with a whopping margin while in Kerala’s Nilambur, Congress won with a convincing margin against CPI(M) candidate.

BJP’s Rajendra Kumar Chavda won the Kadi seat, where the bypoll was necessitated by the death of BJP’s Karsanbhai Punjabhai Solanki, by a margin of 39,452 seats by defeating Congress’ Rameshbhai Chavda. AAP’s Jagdishbhai Chavda came a distant third with 3,090 votes.

In Visavadar, the BJP faced a setback after wooing sitting AAP MLA Bhayani Bhupendrabhai Gandubhai to its side. AAP had its revenge on the BJP, as it retained the seat with Gopal Italia defeating BJP’s Kirti Patel by doubling the margin. In 2022, AAP’s margin was 6,904 votes while it is 17,544 now.

AAP also won its sitting seat Ludhiana West, where bypoll was necessitated by the death of Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora defeating his nearest Congress rival Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes. It is to be seen whether party chief Arvind Kejriwal would enter Rajya Sabha in the vacancy that will be created by Arora’s resignation in the coming day.

Congress won the Nilambur seat after a gap of nine years with Aryadan Shoukath defeating CPI(M)’s M Swaraj by a margin of 11,077 votes. The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Left-backed independent MLA PV Anvar’s resignation after his fallout with CPI(M).

Anwar, who won in 2016 and 2021 as independent and joined Trinamool Congress recently, also contested as an independent again after his nomination on the party ticket was rejected and got only 19,760 votes. The results just a year ahead of Assembly polls have come as a boost to Congress even as the constituency is not considered as a Left bastion.

In Kaliganj, Trinamool Congress' Alifa Ahmed won by a whopping 50,049 votes defeating BJP's Ashish Ghosh. Congress’ Kabiluddin Shaikh came third, receiving 28,348 votes.

Kadi, Gujarat

* Rajendrakumar Chavda -- BJP -- 99,742

* Rameshbhai Chavda -- Cong -- 60,290

* Jagdishbha Chavda -- AAP -- 3,090

Margin: 39,452

Visavadar, Gujarat

* Gopal Italia -- AAP -- 75,942

* Kirti Patel -- BJP -- 58,388

* NitinRanpariya -- Cong -- 5,501

Margin: 17,554

Nilambur, Kerala

*Aryadan Shoukath -- Cong -- 77,737

* M Swaraj -- CPI(M) -- 66,660

* PV Anvar -- Ind -- 19,760

Margin: 11,077

Ludhiana West, Punjab

* Sanjeev Arora -- AAP -- 35,179

* Bharat Bhushan Ashu -- Cong -- 24,542

* Jiwan Gupta -- BJP -- 20,323

Margin: 10,637

Kaliganj, West Bengal

* Alifa Ahmed -- TMC -- 1,02,759

* Ashish Ghosh -- BJP -- 52,710

* Kabiluddin Shaikh -- Cong -- 28,348

Margin: 50,049