Assembly bypoll: AAP fares well, BJP retains Kadi

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), smarting from its defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, sprang a surprise by winning two of the five seats in the Assembly by-elections held in four states while the BJP, Congress and TMC won one seat each.

- SHAHID K ABBAS NEW DELHI, 23 JUNE

In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party strengthened its presence with a comfortable win in Ludhiana West with Sanjeev Arora securing a victory margin of over 10,600 votes against Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu, while in Gujarat, the party regained momentum through Gopal Italia's victory in Visavadar.

However, the BJP continued its dominance in Gujarat by winning the Kadi seat with a massive margin of nearly 40,000 votes, with its candidate Rajendra Chavda emerging victorious.

In Kerala, the Congress made a strong comeback with a significant win in Nilambur, signalling growing dissatisfaction with the ruling Left Democratic Front. Aryadan Shoukath, the Congress-led United Democratic Front candidate, won the seat by a margin of over 11,000 votes against CPI(M)'s M Swaraj.

In West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress held its ground in the Kaliganj seat, with Alifa Ahmed comfortably winning by over 26,400 votes against BJP's Ashish Ghosh.