Voting begins for Assembly bypolls in 4 states, key test for NDA and INDIA bloc
Voting for by-elections to five Assembly seats across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat and Kerala will begin at 7 am today, June 19. Though the number of constituencies is limited, the stakes are significant for both the ruling NDA and the INDIA bloc, with several local-level prestige battles and alliance tensions coming to the fore.PUNJAB: AAP AIMS TO RETAIN LUDHIANA WESTIn Ludhiana (West), the bypoll has been scheduled owing to the death of sitting AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi. The Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora to retain its hold on the urban seat. Arora faces Bharat Bhushan Ashu from Congress, Jiwan Gupta from BJP, and Parupkar Singh Ghumman from the Shiromani Akali Dal.advertisementThis contest is being closely watched not only for the seat itself but for its potential implications for the Rajya Sabha. A win for Arora may open the door for AAP to nominate former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal or his former deputy Manish Sisodia to the Upper House, though the party has denied such plans.
Campaigning saw top leaders from both camps in action, with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal, and Atishi backing AAP, and BJP deploying Delhi and Haryana CMs Rekha Gupta and Nayab Singh Saini. Despite having fought the 2024 general elections in an alliance, AAP and Congress are pitted against each other in this crucial contest.WEST BENGAL: KALIGANJ VOTE SHAPED BY MINORITY OUTREACHIn West Bengal, the bypoll in Kaliganj follows the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. The ruling Trinamool Congress has fielded his daughter, Alifa Ahmed, in a move aimed at consolidating both women and minority voters. BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh, a grassroots party functionary, while the Congress-Left alliance has nominated Kabil Uddin Sheikh.advertisementComing ahead of the 2026 assembly election and amid controversies such as the teacher recruitment scam, the Kaliganj bypoll holds symbolic weight for Mamata Banerjee's party. The TMC, which had wrested the seat from Congress in 2021, is confident of retaining its hold, while the Congress-Left front hopes to revive its rural base.GUJARAT: TRIANGULAR FIGHTS IN KADI AND VISAVADARBypolls in Gujarat are being held in Kadi and Visavadar. In Kadi, the seat fell vacant after the death of BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki. BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda, Congress has nominated Ramesh Chavda, and AAP has fielded Jagdish Chavda. The contest could reveal the Dalit community's voting patterns in the region.Visavadar saw its sitting MLA Bhayani Bhupendrabhai resign from AAP and join BJP. BJP has now fielded Kirit Patel, while Congress has put up Nitin Ranpariya. AAP has fielded prominent party leader Gopal Italia. The fight is expected to be triangular, with local dynamics and defections playing a key role.KERALA: NILAMBUR TURNS INTO MULTI-CORNERED CONTESTIn Nilambur, the bypoll comes less than a year before the next Assembly election in Kerala. The seat was vacated by P.V. Anvar, a two-time winner with Left backing who later aligned with the Congress before eventually entering the fray as an Independent.advertisementCongress has fielded Aryadan Shoukath, son of former MLA Aryadan Mohammed, while the ruling LDF has named M. Swaraj as its candidate. Anvar's candidacy, initially floated under the TMC banner, has added an unpredictable dimension to the contest. Nilambur, which falls under Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency now held by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has become a prestige seat for both alliances.Counting of votes for all five seats will take place on June 23.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
On Rahul Gandhi's 55th birthday, check out the secret to his fitness: From martial arts to avoiding carbs
Rahul Gandhi celebrates his birthday on June 19. The Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha turns 55 in 2025, and even at this age, his fitness routine never fails to inspire many. Also Read | Citing BBC report, Rahul Gandhi accuses UP govt of suppressing Maha Kumbh toll : 'This is the BJP model' In 2023, during a conversation with travel and food channel Curlytales while on the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan, Gandhi had opened up about his diet and workout. He had revealed the different forms of workouts he does to stay healthy and fit, and what he eats to maintain a good physique. In the interview, shared by the official X handle of Congress, Rahul Gandhi revealed his workout regimen. The Congress parliamentarian said that he has always been into some form of physical activity. For the uninitiated, Rahul Gandhi is a black belt in martial arts. Apart from martial arts, he knows diving. Moreover, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra too, he took up regular martial arts classes, he said. On diet, he said he avoids carbohydrates, but if he has to eat rice or roti, he would prefer roti. As a non-veg lover, his favourite dishes are chicken tikka, seekh kebab and a plain omelette. He prefers one cup of coffee in the morning, he said. To mark Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 55th birthday on Thursday, the party's Delhi unit and Indian Youth Congress will be jointly organising a mega job fair at Talkatora Stadium — an event that aligns closely with one of Gandhi's central political themes: unemployment. Additionally, social media is flooded with wishes for the congress leader. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also extended birthday wishes to Rahul Gandhi. In a post on social media X, Singh wrote, 'Greetings to the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri @RahulGandhi on his birthday. May he be blessed with good health and a long life.' Tamil Nadu CM MK stalin and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot also posted their wishes on X.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Kaleshwaram dispute: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says no cabinet approval since 2014; files missing, reply due June 30
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy HYDERABAD: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday rejected the statements of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, ex-irrigation minister T Harish Rao and another ex-minister Eatala Rajender (now in BJP) that the cabinet had given approvals for Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The CM said the cabinet had not approved shifting of locations from Thumiddihatti to Medigadda and other important decisions. He said the Kaleshwaram project came before the cabinet only for revision of cost. "After Telangana state was formed 96 cabinet meetings were held, none of them have any documents on Kaleshwaram project approvals," the CM said during a media conference on Wednesday. KCR, Harish Rao and Rajender, during their cross-examination before the PC Ghose one-man commission, had said that cabinet sub-committee and cabinet cleared all the important decisions pertaining to the Kaleshwaram project. The CM said the one-man commission had written to the Telangana irrigation department to furnish the details by June 30. "The state govt will provide all the cabinet decisions copies to the commission by June 30," Revanth Reddy said. The papers that will be submitted to the commission will expose the ex-CM and ex-ministers, he said.
News18
39 minutes ago
- News18
Ministers removal from Goa cabinet: Oppn hits out at govt over corruption
Agency: PTI Panaji, Jun 19 (PTI) The opposition parties in Goa have targeted the Pramod Sawant government over alleged corruption after the removal of Art and Culture minister Govind Gaude from the state cabinet. Gaude was on Wednesday dropped from the state cabinet, almost a month after he alleged corruption in the tribal welfare department headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant. The notification issued by state Under Secretary (General Administration) Shreyas DSilva did not mention the official reason for his sacking. Speaking to reporters late Wednesday evening, Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar claimed several ministers in Sawant-led cabinet were involved in corruption and needed to be removed. AAP Goa president Amit Palekar in a post on his X handle welcomed Gaude's removal and claimed his party, with the help of people of the state, will bring down the Sawant government. Goa Forward Party head Vijai Sardesai said the minister was never removed in the past when there were allegations of corruption against him. 'But, now when he raised allegations of corruption in the tribal department, the government acted against him," Sardesai said. First Published: June 19, 2025, 09:15 IST
