The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for by-elections to five Assembly seats spanning across four states, setting the stage for a fresh electoral battle involving key political stakeholders.
At stake are five seats in fours states -- they include two seats in Gujarat and one each in Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal. Voting for the bypolls will be held on June 19 while the counting of votes will be undertaken on June 23.
While the Nagrota and Budgam Assembly seats were also expected to go to polls in the current schedule, the EC has not announced any dates for the same, citing the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack and the subsequent military conflict with Pakistan.
Here's a look at the seats where bypolls will be held on June 19 and hat is at stake in ch ese seats for the key stakeholders:
Punjab: Ludhiana (West)byelection 2025
Coming close on the heels of back-to-back setbacks in the Delhi Assembly elections and the Ludhiana civic polls, the Aam Aadmi Party faces a big test of popularity in upcoming by-elections in the Ludhiana (West) constituency.
The bypolls were necessitated after the former AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Gogi passed away after "accidentally" shooting himself to death in January this year. The AAP has fielded its Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora from the seat, sparking a buzz if the bypoll win could pave the way for former Delhi Chief Minister and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal's entry into Parliament.
The AAP also failed to win a majority the Ludhiana civic polls held last year, winning 41 of 95 wards while the Congress and BJP bagged 30 and 18 seats, respectively. The defeat of the wives of MLAs Ashok Parashar Pappi and Gogi caused further embarrassment to the party.
The Congress has fielded former Punjab minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu from the seat while the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which stayed away from the November 2024 bypolls four Assembly seats, has picked newcomer Parupkar Singh Ghuman. The BJP is yet to announce its candidate from the seat.
Gujarat: Kadi and Visavadar
The Assembly by-elections in the two seats of Gujarat present a challenge and an opportunity for the Congress, BJP as well as the AAP. While Congress faces an existential threat of being further relegated to the sidelines on the one hand, on the other, it will take a shot at redemption in a state where the party's central leadership has chosen to implement its pilot project of handing more powers to its state units.
The bypoll in Kadi was necessitated following the demise of sitting BJP MLA Karsanbhai Solanki in February. The by-election in Visavadar is being held following the resignation of AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani later joined the BJP.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which is trying its best to expand its footprints in the state, has fielded its former CM candidate Gopal Italia from the Visavadar seat. The high-profile constituency was once held by former CM Keshubhai Patel.
Kerala: Nilambur bypoll 2025
The Nilambur byelection is set to see a high-stakes battle between the CPI(M)-backed LDF and the Congress. The seat falls in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency which is represented by Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. With Rahul Gandhi also having represented the seat for a term, the Congress faces a prestige battle to wrest the constituency from the Left.
The bypoll was necessitated after two-time Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed Independent MLA P V Anvar resigned from the Assembly following a rift with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Anvar had managed to keep the Congress at bay in two successive elections in 2016 and 2021.
Anvar, who is now a member of the Trinamool Congress, has extended his support to the Congress-led UDF. While the Congress will be hopeful of winning back its traditional seat, the challenge for the CPI(M) is to ensure a victory and send out a message that Anvar's exit has made no dent to its popularity in the constituency.
The BJP, which faces its first contest under the leadership of state unit president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, is yet to announce a candidate from the seat.
West Bengal: Kaliaganj bypoll 2025
The byelection in Kaliaganj comes at a time when the Trinamool Congress faces headwinds in the form of the Supreme Court's recent order upholding a Calcutta High Court order terminating the appointment of over 25,000 teachers as well as the allegations of involvement and high-handedness in the Murshidabad violence.
The bypoll was necessitated following the death of sitting TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February. The party will be hopeful of extending its gains in the state where it faces a formidable challenge from the BJP.
In the bypolls held last year, the TMC had managed to win all six Assembly seats, including wresting back the Madirhat seat from the BJP.
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