ECI By-Election Results 2025 LIVE Updates: ‘Not going to Rajya Sabha’: Kejriwal puts speculations to rest after party MP’s win

AAP leader Sanjeev Arora won the Punjab's Ludhiana assembly seat with a margin of 10,637 votes against Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

In the keenly contested by-election held in Kerala’s Nilambur assembly seat today, the Congress has wrested the seat from the LDF, with its candidate Aryadan Shoukath defeating his nearest rival, CPI(M)’s M Swaraj, by around 10,000 votes. 

The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of two-term CPI(M)-backed Independent legislator P V Anvar, who also contested as an Independent this time.

The constituency, which falls within the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat represented by Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi, registered 75.87 per cent polling.

Shoukath is the son of late Congress veteran Aryadan Muhammed, who had represented the seat from 1987 to 2016.

What does the win mean for Congress?

Congress had approached the by-election as a mandate against the nine-year regime of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. This is the first by-election held since 2021 in which Congress has managed to wrest back a seat from the LDF; in previous by-elections, Congress could only retain its sitting seats.

The party’s victory would boost its confidence to fight local body elections later this year and the assembly elections in April-May next year. To secure a win, the Congress had to fight not only its nearest rival, the CPI(M), but also Anvar.

Within the Congress, the verdict will cement the clout of Opposition leader V D Satheesan, who led the campaign machinery. The win is also a consolation for the new state leadership under KPCC president Sunny Joseph, who replaced K Sudhakaran last month.

Satheesan had opposed Anvar’s demand that he be allowed to associate with the UDF in Nilambur, and a defeat would have weakened Satheesan’s supremacy in the UDF and the Congress. 

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The National Trinamool Congress (TMC) took an early lead over its rivals as counting for the by-election to Kaliganj assembly seat in West Bengal's Nadia district was underway on Monday.

After the third round of counting, TMC candidate Alifa Ahamed is leading with 13,761 votes, while her nearest rival, BJP nominee Ashis Ghosh, secured 6,297 votes. Meanwhile, Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, backed by the CPI(M) is trailing in third position with 5,301 votes.

After the fourth round of voting in Gujarat's Visavadar assembly seat, the BJP's candidate Kiran Patel is leading with 16,888 votes, while AAP’s Gopal Italia is trailing with a margin of 12,796 votes, Monday, according to initial trends.

BJP is also leading in the Kadi assembly seat.

All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate is leading with 4545 votes, while Congress' Kabil Uddin Shaikh trails with 1830 votes, followed by BJP with 1112 votes.

Counting for Bengal's Kaliganj Assembly Constituency by-election started at Panighata UDM High School. The entire counting centre, including the counting halls, has also been covered by CCTV.

The bypoll in Kaliganj was held on June 19 and a 60.32 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

The by-election was necessitated by the sudden demise of Trinamool Congress MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is contesting the seat as the TMC nominee.

After the first round of counting, Congress candidate Aryadan Shoukath is leading with 7683 votes, CPI(M) which fielded its young party state secretariat member M Swaraj, is trailing with 6444 votes, and BJP candidate Mohan George is trailing with 1117 votes.

The counting of votes for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll in Punjab began at 8 am Monday. The ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it is confident of a victory in the Ludhiana riding on its “development and pro-people policies” implemented in the past three years of its reign.

The Opposition parties - the BJP, the Congress and the SAD, on the other hand, see a “wind of badlaav (change)” that will sweep Ludhiana West and “AAP will be thrown out by the people” ahead of 2027 Punjab assembly polls.

The AAP drew criticism after fielding its Rajya Sabha member, industrialist Sanjeev Arora in the bypoll. Opposition parties alleged that the ruling party was doing it to send party national convener Arvind Kejriwal to the Rajya Sabha at his place — if Arora wins. Hence, they alleged that Arora's candidature in the bypoll was “just to ensure Kejriwal's entry to the Upper House of Parliament” after his government lost the Delhi Assembly elections — and Kejriwal lost his seat.

All eyes are on how BJP factor will play out in this urban constituency dominated by Hindu community voters. In 2024 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had polled the highest 45k votes from the West. However BJP has never won an assembly election here.

Divya Goyal reports from Ludhiana

The counting of votes for the Ludhiana West assembly bypoll will be taken up today after a fierce electoral fight that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann described as a battle between "humility" and "arrogance".

The June 19 bypoll has been regarded as a litmus test for the ruling AAP as it seeks to maintain its hold over Punjab, while the Congress looks to regain its foothold over the urban constituency which it held six times in the past.

The Aam Aadmi Party fielded Sanjeev Arora (61), a Rajya Sabha member and Ludhiana-based industrialist who is also known for his social welfare work, for the bypoll. On the other hand, the opposition Congress placed its bet on former minister and Punjab Congress working president Bharat Bhushan Ashu (51).

The BJP field senior leader Jiwan Gupta, a member of the core committee of the party's Punjab unit, while the SAD named Parupkar Singh Ghuman, a lawyer and the former president of Ludhiana Bar Association, as its candidate.

While the main contest is between the AAP and Congress, the bypoll outcome will also shed light on how the BJP performs among urban voters in Punjab. It is also going to be a test of the leadership of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal as his party looks to resurrect itself after a series of crushing electoral losses.

The Election Commission (EC) has undertaken a host of measures to ensure a smooth and peaceful counting for the bypoll to the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal’s Nadia district. The counting is slated to commence at 8 am on Monday.

According to EC sources, a three-tier security system will be in place at the counting centres: armed police personnel will guard the outermost layer, the second tier will comprise the state police and central forces, and the innermost, third tier will be exclusively manned by central forces.

The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were securely transported to the strong rooms on Thursday, and they are being monitored 24×7 through CCTV cameras. Political parties have been permitted to set up camps within 100 metres of the strong rooms, provided they obtain prior permission from the district magistrate.

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