Kerala’s Nilambur sees highest voter turnout, Ludhiana lowest in bypoll to 5 Assembly seats

Polling for byelections for five Assembly seats across four states ended on Thursday, with Kerala’s Nilambur registering the highest polling percentage of 70.7 percent, while Punjab’s Ludhiana West recorded the lowest turnout of 49 per cent.

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The two Gujarat seats of Visvadar and Kadi recorded a turnout of 54 percent each, while West Bengal’s Kaliganj seat recorded an impressive turnout of 69.8 percent. The results of the bypolls will be declared on June 23.

The Congress has huge stakes in Kerala, as it has announced the Nilambur byelection as a semi-final before the 2026 Assembly poll in state.

The party, whose United Democratic Front Alliance (UDF), has been out of power since 2016, is expecting that a victory in the byelection would signal the beginning of the alliance’s return in Kerala.

West Bengal’s Kaliganj seat also saw a bypoll on Thursday, where there was a triangular contest between the Trinamool Congress, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP.

The bypoll is also being closely watched due to the recent Murshidabad riots, discontent over the SSC recruitment scam and the changing electoral arithmetic since the 2024 General Elections.

In Kaliganj, identity and legacy remain central to the electoral battle. Like Kerala, West Bengal too will witness Assembly elections in May 2026.

The Ludhiana West byelection is also a crucial test for AAP, Congress, SAD and the BJP. For AAP, the contest is a crucial opportunity to reaffirm its dominance in Punjab, following the death of its sitting MLA, Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, in January. Retaining the seat would help AAP maintain its urban clout.

The Congress is looking to claw back a constituency that it once held firmly, six times in the past. A win here would signal a revival of urban support for the party. Although the BJP is on the fringes in the state, it will be keenly watching the outcome. The stakes will also be high for SAD, which has suffered a string of losses in the recent past.

Byelections in Gujarat’s Visavadar and Kadi assembly constituencies saw the BJP, Congress and AAP locked in a three-cornered battle.

Vacant since former AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani defected to the BJP in December 2023, the Visavadar seat in Junagadh has attracted high-profile candidates. The BJP has fielded Kirit Patel, Congress has nominated Nitin Ranpariya, while AAP has placed its former Gujarat president Gopal Italia.

In Kadi (Mehsana district), a seat reserved for SC candidates and lying vacant since BJP MLA Karsan Solanki’s death in February, the ruling BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda. The Congress has turned to Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA who won the seat in 2012, while AAP is banking on Jagdish Chavda.