NEW DELHI: The results of the assembly bypolls held across five constituencies in four states—Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala, and West Bengal—were announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, delivering a mixed yet significant verdict for India’s political landscape. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as a bigger gainer, securing victories in Gujarat’s Visavadar and Punjab’s Ludhiana West constituencies. 

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) clinched the Nilambur seat in Kerala, while the Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained its stronghold in West Bengal’s Kaliganj with a landslide margin. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained the Kadi seat in Gujarat, maintaining its grip on the constituency. 

For AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal, the win comes as good news after its defeat in the Delhi assembly elections earlier this year as it in Gujarat’s Visavadar constituency, it's candidate Gopal Italia, the party’s former state president, secured a decisive victory by defeating BJP’s Kirit Patel by a margin of 17,554 votes. 

Italia polled 75,942 votes, while Patel garnered 58,388 votes after 21 rounds of counting. The Visavadar seat, located in Junagadh district, had been won by AAP in the 2022 assembly elections but fell vacant after its MLA, Bhupendra Bhayani, resigned and joined the BJP in December 2023. AAP’s aggressive campaign, led by Kejriwal and senior leader Manish Sisodia, helped the party reclaim the seat, signaling its growing influence in a state long dominated by the BJP.

The BJP maintained its dominance in Gujarat’s Kadi constituency, with candidate Rajendra Chavda winning by a margin of 39,452 votes against Congress’ Ramesh Chavda. Chavda polled 99,742 votes, reinforcing the BJP’s grip on the seat, which fell vacant after the death of MLA Karsan Solanki in February 2025. The Kadi seat, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, saw a voter turnout of 57.90%. Despite its loss in Visavadar, the BJP’s victory in Kadi underscores its continued strength in Gujarat, where it has governed since 1995.

In Punjab, AAP retained the Ludhiana West seat with candidate Sanjeev Arora, a former Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist, defeating Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu by a margin of 10,637 votes. Arora secured 35,179 votes, while Ashu polled 24,542. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January 2025. 

In Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) wrested the Nilambur seat from the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), dealing a significant blow to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s government. UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath, son of Congress veteran Aryadan Muhammed, defeated CPI(M)’s M Swaraj by 11,077 votes. Shoukath’s victory, in a constituency falling under Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, was hailed as a sign of growing anti-incumbency against the LDF ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.

Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi, who actively campaigned for Shoukath, congratulated him on X, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in securing the win. Congress leaders, including IUML’s PK Kunhalikutty, attributed the victory to public dissatisfaction with the LDF’s governance. The result is seen as a morale booster for the UDF, which aims to return to power in Kerala next year.

In West Bengal’s Kaliganj constituency, the Trinamool Congress registered a landslide victory, with candidate Alifa Ahmed defeating BJP’s Ashish Ghosh by a margin of 50,049 votes. Ahmed, daughter of the late TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, whose death in February 2025 necessitated the bypoll, polled 1,02,759 votes, while Ghosh secured 52,710. 

With a 54% Muslim voter base, Kaliganj’s demographics played a significant role in TMC’s victory. Alifa Ahmed, an engineer who entered politics inspired by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, outperformed her father’s 2021 margin of 46,987 votes. The Kaliganj bypoll, held in Nadia district, was viewed as a critical face-off between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s TMC and the BJP ahead of the 2026 assembly elections. 

These results are seen as a crucial barometer of public sentiment ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal, and the 2027 elections in Punjab and Gujarat.