Is Voting for Assembly Bypolls Happening Today in Bengal, Kerala, Punjab, and Gujarat?

New Delhi, June 19 (NationPress) In the wake of the Pahalgam terror incident and Operation Sindoor, voting for the by-elections on five Assembly seats across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Kerala commenced under stringent security measures on Thursday.

The polling began at 7 a.m. and will last until 6 p.m.

The constituencies where voting is taking place include Kaliganj in West Bengal, Nilambur in Kerala, Ludhiana West in Punjab, as well as Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat.

Voting commenced with heightened security protocols, which include the presence of central security forces and police, alongside real-time monitoring of the electoral process through an extensive webcasting system.

The counting of votes is scheduled for June 23.

The upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal early next year add an intriguing layer to this mini electoral battle.

Ludhiana West bypoll

The Ludhiana West Assembly seat became vacant following the demise of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. This by-election is anticipated to witness a multi-faceted contest among significant political entities — the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal, all vying for supremacy in this urban constituency.

A total of 14 candidates are in the running, with 175,469 eligible voters, including 85,371 women and 10 individuals from the third gender. There are 194 polling stations, all equipped with 100% live webcasting, according to officials.

The ruling AAP has nominated Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora for this bypoll. Arora, a 61-year-old industrialist from Ludhiana, is also recognized for his contributions to social welfare.

The Congress party has put its faith in Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a former Minister and Punjab Congress Working President, who is 51 years old. Ashu has previously served as MLA from this seat in 2012 and 2017 but lost to Gogi by a margin of 7,512 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections.

The BJP's candidate is senior leader Jiwan Gupta, who is a member of the Punjab BJP core committee and previously held the position of state general secretary. The SAD has named Parupkar Singh Ghuman, a lawyer and former president of the Ludhiana Bar Association, as its candidate.

Nilambur Assembly bypoll

In Kerala, the by-election for the Nilambur Assembly constituency was necessitated by Anvar's resignation from the CPI(M)-led LDF following allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his associates. Among the 10 candidates, key contenders include M. Swaraj from the LDF, Aryadan Shoukath from the Congress-led UDF, Trinamool Congress state convener and independent candidate P V Anvar, and Mohan George from the BJP-led NDA.

Voters began arriving early at the 263 polling booths within the constituency, which has over 232,000 voters choosing from 10 candidates.

The final voter registry comprises 113,613 men, 118,760 women, and eight transgender individuals, including 7,787 first-time voters, 373 overseas voters, and 324 service voters.

Kaliganj Assembly bypolls

This by-election is shaping up to be a three-way contest among the Trinamool Congress (TMC), BJP, and the Congress-Left coalition, with identity politics, post-Murshidabad riot concerns, and a nationalist resurgence following Operation Sindoor set to influence the electoral narrative.

The by-election for the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal's Nadia district was prompted by the unexpected passing of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. His daughter Alifa is the TMC candidate. The BJP has nominated Ashis Ghosh, while the Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh has the backing of the CPI(M).

Visavadar and Kadi bypolls

The bypolls for the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats in Gujarat started at 7 a.m. and will run until 8 p.m., with voting occurring at 294 polling stations in each region. Both constituencies are experiencing a three-way contest, with the BJP, Congress, and AAP fielding their respective candidates.

The Visavadar Assembly seat in Gujarat's Junagadh district became vacant in December 2023 following AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani's resignation, who later joined the ruling BJP.

For this bypoll, the BJP has nominated Kirit Patel, while Congress has fielded Nitin Ranpariya. AAP's former Gujarat president, Gopal Italia, is also in the race, establishing a competitive three-way contest.

Interestingly, the BJP hasn't secured a victory in the Visavadar seat since 2007, but party leaders are hopeful about breaking this 18-year-long drought. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Bhupendra Bhayani won against BJP's Harshad Ribadiya, who previously belonged to the Congress, by a margin of 7,063 votes.

The Kadi seat, located in Mehsana district and reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates, became vacant on February 4 due to the passing of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. The BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda, while Congress has selected former MLA Ramesh Chavda, who won the seat in 2012 but lost to Solanki in 2017.

AAP is also contesting this seat with Jagdish Chavda as its candidate. Like Visavadar, Kadi is witnessing a triangular contest among the BJP, Congress, and AAP.