Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal go for assembly bypolls; results on June 23
Voting for by-elections to five Assembly seats across Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal, and Kerala began at 7 am on Thursday, with arrangements in place across all constituencies. Votes will be counted on June 23.
Despite the limited number of constituencies, the elections hold importance for both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc, with key local contests and alliance dynamics in focus.
Voting in Gujarat is being held for two Assembly constituencies, Visavadar in Junagadh district and Kadi in Mehsana district. Polling began at 7 am and will continue until 8 pm.
The state government has declared a public holiday in both constituencies. A total of 294 polling stations have been set up in each seat, and voting is being conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In Kerala's Nilambur constituency, the by-election is being held less than a year ahead of the state's next Assembly polls. The seat fell vacant after two-time MLA PV Anvar, previously supported by the Left, switched allegiance to the Congress before ultimately deciding to contest as an Independent.
The Congress has nominated Aryadan Shoukath, the son of former MLA Aryadan Mohammed, while the ruling LDF is backing M Swaraj. Anvar, who initially indicated he would run under the TMC banner, has brought an element of uncertainty to the race.
Located within the Wayanad Lok Sabha segment, currently represented by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nilambur has become a high-stakes battleground for both coalitions.
In West Bengal, polling is underway for the by-election to the Kaliganj Assembly seat in Nadia district. Voting began at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm.
Fourteen companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure security during the polling process.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is contesting the seat as the Trinamool Congress candidate.
The BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh, while Congress nominee Kabil Uddin Shaikh is contesting with the support of the CPI(M).
The seat is witnessing a three-cornered contest among the Trinamool Congress, BJP, and the Congress-Left alliance.
Meanwhile, in Punjab, polling is being held for the Ludhiana West Assembly seat, with voting taking place from 7 am to 6 pm. The seat fell vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January.
With agencies inputs
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