New Delhi, June 23: The results of byelections on five assembly seats in four states gave the much-needed fillip to the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab and Gujarat after the recent reverses in Delhi and a boost to the Congress in Kerala ahead of assembly polls in the southern state next year.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal claimed a “typhoon will come in 2027” when AAP would defeat both the Congress and the BJP as people liked its work.
The Congress which is seeking to strengthen the organisation in Gujarat by appointing new district party chiefs suffered a setback with state party president Shaktisinh Gohil stepping down, taking moral responsibility for the loss on the two seats. The BJP retained the Kadi seat and AAP’s former state unit chief Gopal Italia emerged victorious in Visavadar in the results declared on Monday.
AAP also won the Ludhiana (West) assembly seat in Punjab where its candidate Sanjeev Arora defeated Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu by over 10,600 votes. Both the seats were earlier also held by AAP.
The wins brought cheer to AAP which had suffered a humiliating defeat in Delhi in this year’s assembly polls and performed poorly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, winning only three seats out of 13 in Punjab.
After the Congress-led UDF wrested the Nilambur seat from the ruling LDF in Kerala in the bypolls with Aryadan Shoukath’s win over CPI(M) state secretariat member M Swaraj, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said working as a team, with pointed focus, is the most important lesson of success.
Swaraj said the LDF would closely examine the results but rejected suggestions of anti-incumbency against the Left government. Shoukath said the outcome was expected.
“It was a victory anticipated by the people of Kerala — a major win against the LDF government,” he said.
It is the fourth byelection defeat for the Marxist party-led Left Democratic Front during the ongoing tenure of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government and a major boost for the Congress ahead of the assembly elections next year. The LDF earlier lost in Puthuppally, Palakkad and Thrikkakara Assembly segments.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which retained the Kaliganj Assembly seat in West Bengal by a landslide margin of 50,049 votes over BJP’s Ashish Ghosh, said it was due to “people’s love” and their faith in Mamata Banerjee’s development politics.
In a post on X, Trinamool Congress’ Derek O’Brien that since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the TMC has won all 11 bypolls held in Bengal with a vote share higher than that registered in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP claimed that it received its highest-ever share of Hindu votes in the Kaliganj constituency due to a rising “Hindutva consciousness” and backlash against Murshidabad riots and the next assembly election will be a “full-blown revolution”.
Buoyed by the victory of party candidates in Punjab and Gujarat bypolls, Kejriwal also used the opportunity to woo the Congress workers and voters, saying it is only the AAP that can defeat the BJP as the Congress cannot.
He alleged that the Congress top brass is “hand in glove” with the BJP, claiming they fought the “bypolls together and worked to help ensure BJP’s victory”.
“Some people say this is the semi-final to 2027. We can think that if this is the semi-final and 2022 was a storm, then there will be a typhoon in 2027,” Kejriwal told reporters.
Noting that AAP candidates won by double their margins in 2022, he said, “This shows that we are doing good work in Punjab…By giving us a huge margin win, the people of Punjab have given their stamp of approval on AAP’s work in the state.”
Both Gujarat and Punjab will face assembly elections in 2027.
Kejriwal said the ruling party often wins bypolls, but AAP’s victory in Gujarat shows people are fed up with 30 years of BJP rule. “They now see AAP as a credible alternative,” he noted.
“These bypolls showed how Congress leadership helped BJP just to defeat AAP. Congress has become the kathputli (puppet) of the BJP. I request Congress workers to realise this and join the AAP,” he said.
After Congress’ victory in Kerala, AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “We worked as a team, each one with commitment and single pointed focus, that is the most important lesson of this success.”
“Heartiest congratulations to Aryadan Shoukath whose dedication and service have shone through and to all the leaders and workers of the UDF whose efforts made this victory possible.
“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,” Vadra said in a post on X.
Calling the election results long before the final figures were in, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee congratulated the people of Kaliganj and expressed her gratitude to them.
“People of all religions, castes, races and walks of life in the area have blessed us immensely by exercising their right to vote in the by-elections to the Kaliganj Assembly constituency. I humbly express my gratitude to them.
“The main architects of this victory are ‘Maa, Mati, and Manush’. My colleagues from Kaliganj have worked tirelessly for this. I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to them. My greetings and salutations to everyone,” she said in a post on her X handle.
“Remembering the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahmed, I dedicate this victory to the motherland and people of Bengal,” she added.
Countering Banerjee, BJP’s co-incharge for the state Amit Malviya claimed his party received its highest-ever share of Hindu votes in the constituency due to a rising “Hindutva consciousness” and the backlash against the Murshidabad riots.
In a post on X, Malviya rebutted Banerjee’s assertion that the Trinamool Congress candidate, who won the contest, received “support from people of all religions and castes”.
“The truth: Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is surviving on a captive vote bank of Muslims, illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and radical elements. Just like they dumped the Left, Hindus of Bengal have dumped Mamata,” he said, alleging that the TMC supremo is peddling another lie.
The Assembly election in the state next year will not be a bypoll but a “full-blown revolution”, Malviya said. (PTI)
