The United Democratic Front (UDF), led by Congress, is currently ahead in the Nilambur constituency of Kerala, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has gained a lead in Ludhiana West, Punjab, according to initial trends. In West Bengal's Kaliaganj, the Trinamool Congress is leading ahead of next year's elections, and in Gujarat's Kadi and Visavadar, the BJP is in the lead, aiming to break an 18-year trend. The counting for by-elections across five assembly seats in four states commenced on Monday.
In the by-election for the Ludhiana West assembly seat in Punjab, early counting trends show AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora leading by 1,269 votes over his closest rival, Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. After the first phase of counting, Arora secured 2,895 votes, while Ashu received 1,626 votes. BJP's Jivan Gupta is in third place with 1,117 votes. The counting began at 8 AM at Khalsa College for Women, following the vacancy created by the January death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. Voter turnout for this by-election was recorded at 51.33%, significantly lower than the 64% seen in the 2022 assembly elections.
In West Bengal's Nadia district, the counting for the Kaliaganj assembly seat by-election is underway under tight security. An election commission official confirmed that the counting began around 8 AM. The by-election, held on June 19, saw a voter turnout of 60.32%. This election was necessitated by the sudden passing of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed in February. His daughter, Alifa Ahmed, is contesting as the Trinamool candidate, while BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh, and Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Sheikh is running with the support of the CPI(M).
Counting for the Nilambur by-election in northern Kerala commenced on Monday, showcasing a tight contest between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI(M) and the opposition UDF. The counting began at Chungathara Marthoma Higher Secondary School at 8 AM. Initial trends indicate a slight lead for UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath. The counting process started with postal ballots, followed by electronic voting machine (EVM) votes at 8:10 AM. Voting took place on June 19, with 263 polling stations set up for the election, which was necessitated by the resignation of MLA P.V. Anwar.
In Gujarat, the counting for the Visavadar and Kadi assembly seats is ongoing. Officials reported that the by-elections held on June 19 saw a voter turnout of 57.90% in Kadi and 56.89% in Visavadar. The counting began at 8 AM. Both the BJP, Congress, and AAP fielded candidates for these seats. The Visavadar seat became vacant after AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani resigned to join the ruling BJP in December 2023. BJP has nominated Kirit Patel for this seat, while Congress has fielded Nitin Ranpariya, and AAP has put forth Gopal Italia. The Kadi seat, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, became vacant following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki in February. BJP has nominated Rajendra Chavda, while Congress has given a ticket to former MLA Ramesh Chavda, who previously won this seat in 2012 but lost to BJP's Karsanbhai Solanki in 2017.