Bypoll Results: AAP Stuns BJP In Gujarat, Wins Punjab; Kejriwal Says ‘People Rejected BJP, Congress’
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emerged as the standout performer in Monday’s assembly by-election results, winning two crucial seats in Gujarat and Punjab. The results from five constituencies across four states saw the BJP, Congress, and Trinamool Congress win one seat each.
In a major boost for the party outside its traditional strongholds, AAP’s Gopal Italia won the Visavadar seat in Gujarat, defeating BJP’s Kirit Patel by a significant margin of 17,554 votes. The party also retained its Ludhiana West seat in Punjab, where Sanjeev Arora beat Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes.
Elsewhere, the BJP held onto its Kadi constituency in Gujarat, with Rajendra Chavda securing a massive victory margin of 39,452 votes over his Congress rival. In Kerala, the Congress delivered a setback to the ruling LDF, with its candidate Aryadan Shoukath winning the Nilambur seat by 11,077 votes. The Trinamool Congress continued its dominance in West Bengal, with Alifa Ahmed winning the Kaliganj seat by a landslide margin of 50,049 votes.
Reacting to his party’s impressive performance, AAP National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a sharp attack on both the BJP and the Congress. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he claimed the results from Gujarat signalled a shift in the state’s political landscape.
“The people of Gujarat are now fed up with the BJP and are seeing hope in the Aam Aadmi Party,” Kejriwal stated. He asserted that voters had rejected the Congress as well, positioning AAP as the primary alternative in the state. “Many congratulations to all of you on the splendid victory of Aam Aadmi Party in Visavadar and Ludhiana West. Many thanks to the people of Gujarat and Punjab.”
Kejriwal also highlighted that the victory margin in both seats won by AAP had nearly doubled compared to the previous elections, which he said was a testament to the growing public satisfaction with AAP’s governance model. “The people of Punjab are very happy with our work. Compared to 2022, they have voted for us in even larger numbers,” he added.
The bypolls were held on June 19. The elections in Kadi (Gujarat), Kaliganj (West Bengal), and Ludhiana West (Punjab) were necessitated by the deaths of the sitting legislators, while resignations led to the polls in Nilambur (Kerala) and Visavadar (Gujarat).
