Ashraf Padanna, Gulf Today Correspondent
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, retained its two seats when the results of last week’s by-elections to five assembly seats across four states in India came out on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to hold on to its existing seats.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) also successfully defended its stronghold in the eastern state.
The Indian National Congress (INC), the principal opposition party, made notable gains by capturing the Nilambur seat in the southern state of Kerala, where it leads the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF).
The seat was previously held by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M).
Aryadan Shoukath secured the victory, defeating LDF candidate M Swaraj with a decisive margin of 11,077 votes, garnering 77,737 votes against Swaraj's 66,660.
PV Anvar, an independent candidate who left the LDF, necessitating the by-election, attracted 19,760 votes, while the BJP's Mohan George trailed significantly with 8,648 votes.
In Gujarat, Modi’s home state, the BJP's Rajendra Kumar Daneshwar Chavda emerged victorious against the INC's Rameshbhai Chavda in the Kadi constituency, winning by an impressive margin of 39,452 votes.
AAP's candidate, Chavda Jagadishbhai Ganapathbhai, finished third with 3,090 votes in the by-election that followed the death of BJP legislator Karshan Solanki.
Meanwhile, AAP candidate Gopal Italia celebrated a noteworthy victory in the Visavadar constituency, also in this eastern state, defeating his BJP opponent by 17,554 votes.
Italia secured 75,942 votes, BJP’s Kirit Patel came in second with 58,388 votes, and the INC's Nitin Ranpariya received just 5,501 votes.
In the previous 2022 elections, AAP's Bupendrabhai Bhayani won the same seat by a narrow margin of 4.82% before switching allegiance to the BJP.
In West Bengal, AITC's Alifa Ahmed made headlines by retaining the Kaliganj seat, winning by a staggering 50,049 votes against BJP's Ashish Ghosh.
Ahmed received an impressive 102,750 votes, whereas Ghosh managed 52,710. INC candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, who had the backing of the CPI (M) and its allies, earned 28,348 votes.
This by-election was triggered by the death of her father, Nasiruddin Ahamed, a two-time legislator.
In Punjab, AAP’s Sanjeev Arora claimed victory in the Ludhiana constituency with a margin of 10,637 votes over INC’s Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who garnered 24,542 votes.
The BJP's Jiwan Gupta trailed with 20,323 votes, followed by Shiromani Akali Dal's Parupakar Singh Ghuman, who received 8,203 votes.
The accidental gunshot death of AAP leader Gurpreet Singh Gogi led to the by-election in this constituency of the AAP-ruled northern state.
Congratulating Shoukath on his victory in Nilambur, INC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said his dedication and the united efforts of the UDF made it.
"We worked as a team, each one with commitment and single-pointed focus, that is the most important lesson of this success,” Vadra remarked in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Most of all, a big thank you to my sisters and brothers of Nilambur for your support. Your trust and belief in the values of our constitution and in the UDF’s vision for progress will be the guiding light for our way forward.”
Shoukath, 62, previously ran for the same seat in 2016, but was defeated by Anvar by 11,504 votes.
He is not just a politician but also has a rich background in local governance, having served as the chairman of Nilambur municipality.
He is recognised as an award-winning film producer and screenwriter, showcasing his multifaceted talents beyond the political arena.
Responding to retaining the seat in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann congratulated AAP candidate Arora on his impressive victory in the Ludhiana West by-election.
Taking to social media, he wrote: "Heartiest congratulations to all the leaders and workers of the Aam Aadmi Party on this resounding win! This remarkable triumph reflects the people's immense satisfaction with our government's work. We remain committed to working tirelessly, with honesty and fairness, to drive Punjab's progress and prosperity. Every promise made during the by-election will be fulfilled as a top priority."
