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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Poll claims fly as UDF, LDF battle it out
Kozhikode: A day after the closely-watched and politically-significant Nilambur bypoll, UDF and LDF camps pored over internal booth-level estimates collected from the field and concluded that the outcome would be a favourable one. While UDF reviewed its estimates and claimed that the front would secure a huge majority, LDF came out with a cautious estimate expecting a narrow victory margin. UDF claimed it would win by a big margin of around 10,000 votes. It expects a lead of over 4,000 votes in Vazhikkadavu, nearly the same margin in Moothedam, 1,500 votes in Edakkara and 1,000 votes each in Nilambur municipality and Pothukallu. UDF also expects small leads in Chungathara and Karulayi. On the other hand, LDF's internal feedback showed a tighter contest, projecting a narrow win margin of around 1,600 votes. Left is counting on leads in Amarambalam, Pothukallu, Nilambur municipality and Karulayi to offset UDF's expected lead of 1,500 votes in Vazhikkadavu and other narrow leads in Moothedam and Edakkara, where UDF has historically held a strong political base. LDF is also relying on internal differences and factionalism within the Congress to strengthen its position. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free P2,000 GCash eGift UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo What makes the race even more complex is independent candidate PV Anvar, whose resignation triggered the bypoll. Early projections from both camps estimated his vote share at 10,000 votes, but LDF sources now believe Anvar could secure well beyond that number, mainly by drawing support from UDF voters. The BJP is expected to get around 7,000 votes, while SDPI is likely to garner around 2,500 votes. For LDF and UDF, the stakes are high. Winning this bypoll will boost morale and set the tone for the upcoming local body elections and the 2026 assembly polls. Echoing UDF's estimates, candidate Aryadan Shoukath said he would win the polls with an 'A Plus grade' and secure leads in all panchayats as well as Nilambur municipality. He added that the front had gained support even from non-UDF voters and predicted a historic majority for UDF on Monday. LDF candidate M Swaraj said LDF expects a strong win in the constituency, noting that there was no anti-incumbency sentiment against the state govt there. IUML national general secretary PK Kunhalikutty said the UDF camp is confident of a comfortable win. He added that IUML has consistently worked with full commitment to secure victory for the UDF candidate. Kunhalikutty dismissed concerns that IUML votes might have shifted to Anvar, saying that even in tougher situations, IUML cadres have never taken such a stand.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Nilambur Assembly bypoll: 13.15% voter turnout recorded till 9 am
Malappuram (Kerala) [India], June 19 (ANI): Nilambur Assembly bye-election in Kerala saw a 13.15% voter turnout till 9 am from the start of polling at 7 am. The bypoll has been necessitated after the resignation of Left Democratic Front independent legislator PV Anvar, who later joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) after his acrimonious break-up with the ruling alliance. The LDF has fielded M Swaraj, the United Democratic Front (UDF) has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, while the BJP has fielded Adv. Mohan George is a candidate for the Nilambur Assembly constituency. Anvar is also contesting the election after his talks with the UDF did not materialise his entry into the alliance. Swaraj and Aryadan Shoukath were seen greeting each other when they met at a polling booth. The bye-election is crucial for both the ruling LDF and the UDF, as the results will be seen as a reflection of voter sentiment ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls in the State. Earlier, stressing that the Nilambur by-election is the semi-final before the 2026 Assembly polls, Kerala LoP and Congress MLA VD Satheesan said that they will emerge victorious, which will mark the beginning of the United Democratic Front's (UDF) return to the state. Speaking to ANI, Satheesan said, 'This is a political contest, a direct fight between the UDF and the LDF. It is the semi-final leading up to the 2026 Assembly elections, and we are confident of winning by a significant margin. We see this as an opportunity to hold the Pinarayi government accountable, a government that has been in power for the past nine years.' During the election campaign, LDF leaders, including the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, slammed the Congress-led UDF for accepting Jamaat-e-Islami's support for its candidate. Hitting back, the UDF leaders accused the ruling alliance of fomenting Islamophobia. However, the chief minister said that opposing Jamaat-e-Islami's theocratic ideology was not tantamount to stoking Islamophobia. UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukhath expressed confidence in a UDF victory for the constituency, saying that the state government has 'totally neglected Nilambur area,' with tribals not being rehabilitated and increasing human-animal conflict. 'There will be a good victory in this election. For the last nine years, the state government has totally neglected the Nilambur area. Many tribals have not been rehabilitated. There is also human-animal conflict here,' Shoukath told ANI. (ANI)
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Five Assembly bypolls in four states today: What is at stake for key players
ON THURSDAY, five Assembly seats across four states will vote in crucial bypolls. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the CPI(M) are looking at the bypolls in West Bengal and Kerala, where they are in power respectively, as precursors to the Assembly polls slated next year in their states. A bypoll win would give them a boost in the 2026 final, with the campaigns reflecting their stakes. The BJP wants to retain its old bastion in Gujarat, but it is also hoping to clinch another seat where the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is steadily growing. In Punjab, the ruling AAP is facing a challenge from not only the Congress but also the BJP. The results for the bypolls will be declared on June 23. The bypoll here was necessitated by the resignation of the CPI(M)-backed Independent legislator P V Anvar. A win will be a shot in the arm for the CPI(M) ahead of the Assembly elections, which it would face while being the incumbent for an unprecedented two terms. The Congress, which lost the Nilambur seat in the 2021 polls with a margin of 2,700 votes, has mounted a stiff challenge the CPI(M) and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. CM Vijayan has handpicked M Swaraj as the CPI(M)'s candidate from the seat, who has had a sharp rise in the party. The Congress has nominated its old-timer Aryadan Shoukath from the seat, who had also contested in 2016. Shoukath brings with him legacy too, with his late father Aryadan Mohammad winning the seat eight times before. In the 2021 Bengal Assembly polls, TMC leader Nasiruddin Ahmed, known as Lal in the party circles, won from the Kaliganj constituency by 46,987 votes against the BJP's Abhijit Ghosh. It was Ahmed's second win from the seat. Ahmed died in February this year after a cardiac arrest. His daughter Alifa Ahmed is now contesting the bypoll on the TMC's ticket, who is taking on the BJP's Ashish Ghosh and the Congress's Kabil Uddin. The TMC has a base in the seat owing to Ahmed's groundwork over the years and his popularity among its large Muslim population. However, the campaigns of the contenders for the bypoll in the constituency has been charged. The BJP targeted the TMC over the recent Murshidabad riots in which three persons were killed and several people were left homeless. The TMC, in turn, accused the BJP of 'communal polarisation'. Clearly, the BJP wants to break the TMC's hold on this minority-dominated seat in Nadia district. Their face-off would also play out in the run-up to the 2026 Assembly polls. Visvadar in Gujarat's Junagadh district fell vacant after sitting AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani joined the ruling BJP. Bhayani is not contesting the seat, with the BJP having fielded Kirit Patel as its candidate, who is a cooperative leader and a former district party president. The AAP seems to have left no stone unturned to wrest the seat back, fielding Gopal Italia, one of the faces of the Patidar agitation in the state. After keeping a low-profile following the Delhi poll debacle in February this year, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal addressed a number of public meetings in Visavadar and led a road-show in support of Italia. In the 2022 polls, the AAP had won the seat by getting 45% of total polled votes. The BJP lost the seat by 7,063 votes. The Congress has give ticket to party leader Nitin Ranpariya, while the Praja Shakti Democratic Party (PSDP), launched by former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, has also fielded its candidate here. This bypoll was necessitated due to the death of the incumbent AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. The AAP has fielded industrialist and its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora. Trying to leave nothing to chance, the AAP's top brass — including Kejriwal and senior leaders Manish Sisodia and former Delhi CM Atishi — have campaigned in support of Arora. The Congress has fielded Bharat Bhushan Ashu and his campaign too seems to have got traction here. But the winner could be determined by the BJP candidate's performance Since its creation in 1977, the Ludhiana West constituency has never been won by the BJP. Out of the ten elections held in the seat since, the Congress bagged it six times, the BJP's former ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) clinched two victories, and the erstwhile Janata Party won it once. However, the BJP is sensing a chance this time as the party believes its candidate Jiwan Gupta would cut into the votes of both the AAP and the Congress. In 2022, the AAP's Gogi had defeated the Congress's Ashu by 7,512 votes.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
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
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
TMC, CPI(M) seek booster in Bengal, Kerala; BJP, AAP look to retain Gujarat, Punjab seats
ON THURSDAY, five Assembly seats across four states will vote in bypolls. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the CPI(M) are looking at the bypolls in West Bengal and Kerala, where they are in power respectively, as precursors to the Assembly polls slated next year in their states. The BJP wants to retain its old bastion in Gujarat, but it is also hoping to clinch another seat where the AAP is steadily growing. In Punjab, the ruling AAP is facing a challenge from not only the Congress but also the BJP. Results are out on June 23. Nilambur (Kerala) The bypoll here was necessitated by the resignation of the CPI(M)-backed Independent legislator P V Anvar. The Congress, which lost the seat in 2021 by 2,700 votes, has mounted a stiff challenge, nominating old-timer Aryadan Shoukath. CM Pinarayi Vijayan has handpicked M Swaraj as the CPM candidate. Kaliganj (West Bengal) In the 2021 Assembly polls, TMC leader Nasiruddin Ahmed won Kaliganj by 46,987 votes against the BJP's Abhijit Ghosh. It was Ahmed's second win from the seat. Ahmed died in February this year after a cardiac arrest. His daughter Alifa Ahmed is now contesting the bypoll on the TMC's ticket. She is taking on the BJP's Ashish Ghosh and the Congress's Kabil Uddin. The campaigns have been charged. The BJP has targeted the TMC over the Murshidabad riots. And the TMC has accused the BJP of communal polarisation. Visavadar (Gujarat) Visvadar in Gujarat's Junagadh district fell vacant after sitting AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani joined the ruling BJP. Bhayani is not contesting the seat, with the BJP having fielded Kirit Patel, a cooperative leader and a former district party president. The AAP has fielded Gopal Italia, one of the faces of the Patidar agitation in the state. Kadi (Gujarat) In the 2022 polls, the BJP's Karsanbhai Punjabhai Solanki won 53.45% of the total votes. The Congress came second. The SC-reserved seat fell vacant after Solanki died in February. The BJP has fielded Rajendra Kumar Daneshwar Chavda,while the Congress has nominated Rameshbhai Chavda. The AAP has fielded Jagdishbhai Ganpatbhai Chavda here. Ludhiana West (Punjab) This bypoll was necessitated by the death of AAP's Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. It has fielded industrialist and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora. AAP top brass, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, have campaigned. The Congress has fielded Bharat Bhushan Ashu and seems to be getting traction.
