Are the Assembly bypoll results revealing the political landscape in five seats?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Five Assembly seats across four states are undergoing bypolls.
- The bypolls were held on June 19, showcasing varied voter turnout.
- This election cycle could greatly influence political strategies going forward.
- Key candidates span multiple parties, highlighting a competitive landscape.
- The results are awaited as a crucial indicator for upcoming elections.
New Delhi, June 23 (NationPress) The counting of votes is currently taking place for the by-elections across five Assembly seats in four states -- Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, and Bengal.
The bypolls were conducted on June 19 for two Assembly seats in Gujarat -- Visavadar and Kadi; along with one seat each in Punjab (Ludhiana West), Bengal (Kaliganj), and Kerala (Nilambur).
In Gujarat, the voter turnout at the Visavadar seat was 56.89 percent, whereas Kadi witnessed a turnout of 57.90 percent.
In Kerala’s Nilambur, the voting percentage reached 75.27 percent during the bypoll.
West Bengal's Kaliganj recorded a voting percentage of 69.85 percent, while Punjab’s Ludhiana West constituency saw a turnout of 51.33 percent.
The necessity for bypolls arose due to the passing of incumbent legislators in one seat each across Gujarat, West Bengal, and Punjab, in addition to the resignation of two MLAs leading to elections in Kerala and another seat in Gujarat.
For Kadi in Gujarat, the BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda, while the Congress has put forth Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA of the same area, and the AAP has nominated Jagdish Chavda.
In Visavadar, the BJP has fielded former Junagadh district president Kirit Patel against AAP's Gopal Italia and Congress' Nitin Ranpariya.
The principal contenders in West Bengal’s Kaliganj include Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Sheikh, supported by the Left Front, Trinamool Congress’s Alifa Ahmed, and BJP’s Ashish Ghosh.
In Kerala, the ruling LDF has nominated M. Swaraj for the Nilambur bypolls, while Aryadan Shoukath from the Congress-led UDF, P.V. Anvar from Trinamool Congress, and Mohan George from the BJP-led NDA are also in the race. Overall, ten candidates are contesting, making this a crucial test for the ruling LDF government ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
The Ludhiana West bypoll features a competitive four-way contest among Sanjeev Arora from AAP, Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Congress, Jiwan Gupta from BJP, and Parupkar Singh Ghumman from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
Arora’s candidacy as AAP’s Rajya Sabha candidate has sparked speculation that Arvind Kejriwal may be nominated for the upper House should Arora win, although AAP leaders have denied such claims. The counting of votes for the Ludhiana West Assembly is taking place at Khalsa College For Women.