New Delhi: The first electoral battle following the Pahalgam terror incident and Operation Sindoor commenced on Thursday, with by-elections taking place for five Assembly seats across Punjab, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Kerala, all under strict security measures.

Voting began at 7 a.m. and will run until 6 p.m.

The constituencies involved in this electoral process include Kaliganj in West Bengal, Nilambur in Kerala, Ludhiana West in Punjab, and Kadi and Visavadar in Gujarat.

The polling is being conducted with robust security protocols, featuring the presence of central security forces and police, alongside real-time monitoring of the election through an extensive webcasting system.

Vote counting is scheduled for June 23.

The upcoming Assembly elections in Kerala and West Bengal early next year add an intriguing layer to this mini electoral contest.

Ludhiana West bypoll

The Ludhiana West Assembly seat became vacant following the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. This by-election is anticipated to be a multi-faceted contest, with major political entities including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, BJP, and Shiromani Akali Dal vying for influence in this urban area.

A total of 14 candidates are competing, with 175,469 voters eligible to cast their votes, including 85,371 women and 10 individuals from the third gender. There are 194 polling stations set up for this bypoll, all equipped with live webcasting, according to officials.

The ruling AAP has nominated Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora, a Ludhiana-based industrialist known for his contributions to social welfare.

The Congress party has chosen Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a former Minister and Punjab Congress Working President, who previously held the MLA position for this seat in 2012 and 2017. He lost to Gogi by 7,512 votes in the 2022 Assembly elections.

The BJP has put forward Jiwan Gupta, a senior party leader and member of the Punjab BJP core committee. The Shiromani Akali Dal has selected Parupkar Singh Ghuman, a lawyer and former president of the Ludhiana Bar Association, as its candidate.

Nilambur Assembly bypoll

The by-election for Nilambur in Kerala was prompted by Anvar's resignation as MLA after he severed ties with the CPI(M)-led LDF, citing allegations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his associates. Key candidates include M. Swaraj from the ruling LDF, Aryadan Shoukath from the Congress-led UDF, independent candidate P V Anvar, and Mohan George from the BJP-led NDA.

Voters began arriving early at the 263 polling booths, with over 232,000 registered voters choosing from 10 candidates.

The final voter list comprises 113,613 men, 118,760 women, and eight transgender individuals, including 7,787 first-time voters, 373 overseas voters, and 324 service voters.

Kaliganj Assembly bypolls

The Kaliganj Assembly by-election in West Bengal's Nadia district is shaping up to be a three-way contest among the Trinamool Congress (TMC), BJP, and the Congress-Left alliance. The political landscape is influenced by identity politics, anxieties following the Murshidabad riots, and a nationalist sentiment post-Operation Sindoor.

This by-election was called due to the unexpected passing of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. His daughter, Alifa, is the TMC candidate, while the BJP has nominated Ashis Ghosh and Congress has put forward Kabil Uddin Shaikh, who has the backing of CPI(M).

Visavadar and Kadi bypolls

Voting for the Visavadar and Kadi Assembly seats in Gujarat commenced at 7 a.m. and will continue until 8 p.m., with 294 polling stations established in each constituency. Both seats are expected to see a three-way contest among the BJP, Congress, and AAP.

The Visavadar seat has been vacant since December 2023, following the resignation of AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani, who later joined the BJP. The BJP has nominated Kirit Patel, while Congress has fielded Nitin Ranpariya. AAP's former Gujarat president, Gopal Italia, is also contesting, creating a competitive environment.

Interestingly, the BJP has not secured a win in Visavadar since 2007, but party leaders are hopeful of breaking this streak. In the 2022 Assembly elections, Bhupendra Bhayani defeated BJP's Harshad Ribadiya by a margin of 7,063 votes.

The Kadi seat, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, became vacant on February 4 due to the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. The BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda, while Congress has chosen former MLA Ramesh Chavda, who previously won the seat in 2012 but lost to Solanki in 2017. AAP is also in the race with Jagdish Chavda as its candidate, leading to a triangular contest.