Voting began early Thursday morning for by-elections to five assembly seats across Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, and West Bengal, with electoral authorities ensuring smooth polling operations and tight security. The Election Commission has scheduled vote counting for June 23, 2025.
In West Bengal, polling for the Kaliganj Assembly seat in Nadia district commenced at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm. Fourteen companies of central forces have been deployed to ensure security. The seat fell vacant following the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is contesting on a Trinamool ticket. The BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh, while Congress’s Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by CPI(M), has made it a three-way contest.
In Gujarat, two Assembly constituencies — Visavadar in Junagadh and Kadi in Mehsana — are going to polls. Voting will continue until 8 pm. The state government has declared a public holiday in these areas. A total of 294 polling stations have been set up in each constituency, with polling conducted through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
In Kerala, the Nilambur constituency is seeing a hotly contested bypoll. The seat became vacant after sitting MLA PV Anvar, initially backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), defected to the Congress but eventually filed his nomination as an Independent. The Congress has nominated Aryadan Shoukath, son of former MLA Aryadan Mohammed, while the LDF has fielded M Swaraj. Located in Wayanad Lok Sabha segment, currently represented by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Nilambur is being closely watched by both the INDIA bloc and the NDA.
In Punjab, voting is being held for the Ludhiana West Assembly seat, which fell vacant after the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi in January. Polling is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.
Though limited in number, these by-elections are politically significant, especially as both the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA alliance aim to test electoral waters and reinforce their respective strategies ahead of the 2026 Assembly and 2029 General Elections.
