By-elections to assembly seats in Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal, and Kerala on Monday delivered mixed results, with AAP gaining ground, TMC set to retain its seat in Bengal, and the Congress-led UDF scoring a key victory in Kerala.UDF snatches Nilambur seatIn a severe blow to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government in Kerala, the opposition UDF on Monday surged ahead in the Nilambur Assembly by-election and was on the verge of victory as counting neared completion.UDF candidate Aryadan Shoukath, son of Congress veteran Aryadan Muhammed, secured a lead of 11,077 votes over CPI(M)’s M Swaraj.The bypoll was widely seen as a mid-term referendum on the LDF government. Independent candidate P V Anvar, the former legislator whose resignation triggered the bypoll, surprised many with his strong performance, securing over 18,000 votes. The BJP candidate, Mohan George, lagged far behind.Celebrations erupted in Nilambur and across the UDF camp, with Congress leaders hailing the result as a sign of growing public support ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.TMC comfortably ahead in KaliganjIn West Bengal’s Kaliganj assembly seat, TMC candidate Alifa Ahamed, daughter of the late MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed, was leading by over 19,000 votes after seven rounds of counting. She had secured 32,308 votes against Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh, who had the backing of the CPI(M) and polled 13,144 votes. BJP’s Ashis Ghosh was in third place with 11,987 votes.The bypoll was held following the death of Nasiruddin Ahamed in February. Voting saw a turnout of 69.85 per cent and remained largely peaceful.
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