Voting Begins for Five Assembly By-Elections Across India

Image Source: The Economic Times

What's Happening Now Voting for by-elections in five Assembly seats in four Indian states of Punjab, West Bengal, Kerala, and Gujarat is being held. The voting started from 7 AM and will continue up to 6 PM, with the results to be declared on June 23. The bypolls are being watched with considerable interest because they could signal early shifts ahead of the 2026 state elections in Kerala and West Bengal.

Constituencies in Focus

Kaliganj (West Bengal): A tight contest following the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. His daughter Alifa is contesting to retain the seat for the party.

Nilambur (Kerala): Following the resignation of PV Anvar, this seat is witnessing a four-cornered contest between LDF, UDF, BJP, and an independent candidate.

Ludhiana West (Punjab): The seat fell vacant after AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi’s demise. AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD are all fielding heavyweight candidates.

Kadi and Visavadar (Gujarat): Kadi’s bypoll follows the death of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki, while Visavadar’s vacancy stems from an AAP defection to BJP. Both seats are seeing triangular fights among BJP, Congress, and AAP.

Security and Logistics Snapshot

Central forces and state police have been used for the sake of peaceful voting

There is live webcasting at all the polling centres for transparency

Voting is under close observation, with early indications indicating hectic voting in several constituencies

Political Undercurrents

These bypolls are the first major challenge under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

In Kerala and West Bengal, the verdict may shape campaign discourse for the 2026 Assembly polls

In Punjab, AAP win can pave the way for strategic Rajya Sabha moves, as Congress and BJP look to recapture lost ground

Candidate Highlights

Ludhiana West: AAP's Sanjeev Arora, Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP's Jiwan Gupta, and SAD's Parupkar Singh Ghuman

Nilambur: LDF's M Swaraj, UDF's Aryadan Shoukath, BJP's Mohan George, and independent's PV Anvar

Kaliganj: TMC's Alifa Ahamed, BJP's Ashis Ghosh, and Congress-Left's Kabil Uddin Shaikh

Kadi and Visavadar: BJP's Rajendra Chavda and Kirit Patel, Congress' Ramesh Chavda and Nitin Ranpariya, AAP's Jagdish Chavda and Gopal Italia

Why It Matters While narrow in ambit, the by-elections are being seen as a party strategies, mood of the voter, and alliance politics litmus test. With multiple parties vying for dominance, the results could carry over into country-level narratives in the build-up to the 2026 and 2029 elections.

Sources: India Today, India TV News, DNA India, Moneycontrol, Economic Times, Election Commission of India updates.