Bypoll Results: Teen Killed In Blast At TMC's Victory Rally; AAP Wins 2 Seats, Congress And BJP Get 1 Each

Last Updated:June 23, 2025, 21:44 IST

The AAP, smarting from recent reverses in Delhi, won two out of the five bypolls in assembly seats – one in Gujarat and the other in Punjab, where it is the ruling party

AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh with others celebrate after the party won the bypoll from Punjab's Ludhiana West and Gujarat's Visavadar assembly seats, on June 23. (Image: AAP/PTI)

A 13-year-old girl was killed on Monday in a blast that ripped through a TMC procession in West Bengal as the Mamata Banerjee-led party revelled in its resounding victory on the Kaliganj assembly seat. Bypoll results, however, gave a much-needed fillip to the AAP as it won two seats even as the BJP and Congress both featured in single wins.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), smarting from recent reverses in Delhi and the Arvind Kejriwal conundrum, won two out of the five bypolls in assembly seats – one in Gujarat and the other in Punjab, where it is the ruling party. The Congress, meanwhile, got a welcome boost by winning a seat in Kerala ahead of the assembly elections in the southern state next year.

After the AAP’s performance in the bypolls, Kejriwal claimed that a “typhoon will come in 2027" when his party will defeat both the Congress and BJP as people liked its work.

The BJP, meanwhile, won a single seat in Gujarat and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) managed to retain the seat in West Bengal.

But, there were setbacks too. 

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.

WHO WON?

In Gujarat, the BJP retained the Kadi seat and AAP’s former state unit chief Gopal Italia emerged victorious in Visavadar after the results were declared.

The AAP also won the Ludhiana (West) assembly seat in Punjab where its candidate Sanjeev Arora defeated Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress by more than 10,600 votes. Both the seats were earlier held by the AAP.

In West Bengal, the TMC registered a landslide victory in the Kaliganj assembly seat while the Congress-led UDF wrested the Nilambur seat from the ruling LDF in Kerala. 

AAP RETAINS SEATS IN PUNJAB AND GUJARAT

Buoyed by the victory of the AAP candidates in Punjab and Gujarat, Kejriwal used the opportunity to woo the Congress workers and voters, saying it is only his party 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. “This shows that we are doing good work in Punjab…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. He 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."

KERALA

After Aryadan Shoukath’s win over CPI(M) state secretariat member M Swaraj in Kerala, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said working as a team, with pointed focus, is the most important lesson of success.

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.

Swaraj said the LDF will closely examine the results but rejected suggestions of anti-incumbency against the Left government. This is, however, the fourth byelection defeat for the front during the ongoing tenure of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government. It earlier lost in Puthuppally, Palakkad and Thrikkakara assembly segments.

(With PTI inputs)

News elections Bypoll Results: Teen Killed In Blast At TMC's Victory Rally; AAP Wins 2 Seats, Congress And BJP Get 1 Each