Ludhiana (Punjab)[India], June 19: Voting is underway for assembly by-elections in five constituencies across the country on Thursday, including the high-profile Ludhiana West seat in Punjab. Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, after casting his vote at booth numbers 72-76 at Malwa Senior Secondary School, urged voters to participate actively in the democratic process.
Speaking to ANI, Ashu said, "People are participating in this election process. I appeal to the public to come and cast their vote."
"I have fulfilled my constitutional duty and appeal to the voters to do the same," he added.
The Ludhiana West seat fell vacant following the demise of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, while the BJP has nominated Jiwan Gupta. The AAP has chosen Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as its candidate, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has named Parupkar Singh Ghumman.
In addition to Punjab, polling is taking place in four other constituencies: Nilambur in Kerala, Kaliganj in West Bengal, and Visavadar and Kadi in Gujarat.
In Kerala's Nilambur seat, the battle is being viewed as a precursor to the 2026 Assembly elections. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded former MLA M Swaraj, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) has put forward Aryadan Shoukath. The BJP is contesting the seat with Adv. Mohan George as its candidate.
Highlighting the political significance of the Nilambur contest, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala and senior Congress leader VD Satheesan said, "This is a political contest, a direct fight between the UDF and the LDF. It is the semi-final leading up to the 2026 Assembly elections, and we are confident of winning by a significant margin. We see this as an opportunity to hold the Pinarayi government accountable, a government that has been in power for the past nine years."
In West Bengal's Kaliganj, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has nominated Alifa Ahmed. The BJP has fielded Ashish Ghosh, and the Congress has put forward Kabil Uddin Shaikh in what is expected to be a triangular contest.
Meanwhile, in Gujarat's Visavadar constituency, the BJP is represented by Kirit Patel, with Congress fielding Nitin Ranpariya and AAP nominating its former state president, Gopal Italia.
The contest in Gujarat's Kadi seat is also drawing attention, with the BJP's Rajendra Chavda facing off against Congress' Ramesh Chavda, a former MLA who had earlier won the seat in 2012. AAP has fielded Jagdish Chavda in the same constituency, making it a three-way race.
Counting of votes for all five seats will take place on June 23.