Polling for by-elections in five assembly constituencies across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Kerala concluded peacefully on Thursday, June 19. Voting began at 7 AM and continued till 5 PM (and 6 PM in some locations), according to the Election Commission of India.
The bypolls were necessitated either by the death or resignation of sitting legislators, and the vote counting will take place on June 23.
Constituency-Wise Highlights:
🗳️ West Bengal – Kaliganj
- Turnout: 69.85% (till 5 PM)
- Reason: Death of TMC MLA
- Candidates:
- Alifa Ahamed (TMC): Daughter of deceased MLA, BTech graduate
- Ashis Ghosh (BJP)
- Kabil Uddin Shaikh (Congress), backed by CPI(M)
- Note: Polling remained largely peaceful.
🗳️ Kerala – Nilambur
- Turnout: 70.76% (till 5 PM)
- Reason: Resignation of PV Anvar (LDF), who later joined TMC
- Candidates:
- M Swaraj (LDF)
- Aryadan Shoukath (UDF)
- Adv. Mohan George (BJP)
🗳️ Gujarat – Visavadar & Kadi
- Visavadar Turnout: 54.61%
- Kadi Turnout: 54.49%
- Reasons:
- Visavadar: Resignation of AAP’s Bhupendra Bhayani (now with BJP)
- Kadi: Death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki
- Kadi is reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.
🗳️ Punjab – Ludhiana West
- Turnout: 49.07% (till 5 PM)
- Reason: Death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi
- Electorate: 1,75,469 voters (85,371 women, 10 third-gender individuals)
- Candidates: 14 in total
The Election Commission reported no major incidents across all five constituencies. With peaceful voting and strong turnouts in Kerala and West Bengal, all eyes now turn to June 23, when the votes will be counted and results declared.