Nilambur by-election: Aryadan Shoukath leads by Over 10,000 votes; M. Swaraj trails
Malappuram: United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Aryadan Shoukath has taken a commanding lead in the Nilambur Assembly by-election, with a margin of over 10,000 votes as counting continues across several centres in the constituency.
His closest rival, M. Swaraj of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), is currently trailing. The early trends have also positioned Trinamool Congress-backed candidate P. V. Anvar in third place.
The outcome of the Nilambur bypoll is being closely watched, as it is considered a bellwether for the political climate ahead of the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.
The by-elections, held on June 19, covered five constituencies across four states: Visavadar and Kadi in Gujarat; Kaliganj in West Bengal; Ludhiana West in Punjab; and Nilambur in Kerala.
Voter turnout varied significantly across the states. Kerala’s Nilambur recorded the highest turnout at 75.27%, followed by Kaliganj in West Bengal at 69.85%, Visavadar in Gujarat at 56.89%, Kadi at 57.90%, and Ludhiana West in Punjab at 51.33%.
The Nilambur seat fell vacant following the resignation of the sitting MLA. In this high-stakes contest, the LDF fielded M. Swaraj, while Aryadan Shoukath represented the Congress-led UDF. The BJP-led NDA nominated Mohan George, while P. V. Anvar contested independently with the backing of the Trinamool Congress. In total, ten candidates are in the fray.
In Gujarat’s Kadi seat, the BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda against Congress’ Ramesh Chavda and AAP’s Jagdish Chavda. In Visavadar, BJP's Kirit Patel is facing off against AAP's Gopal Italia and Congress’ Nitin Ranpariya.
In West Bengal's Kaliganj, the key contenders include Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Sheikh (backed by the Left Front), Trinamool Congress’ Alifa Ahmed, and BJP’s Ashish Ghosh.
Punjab’s Ludhiana West constituency is witnessing a four-way contest between AAP's Sanjeev Arora, Congress’ Bharat Bhushan Ashu, BJP’s Jiwan Gupta, and Parupkar Singh Ghumman of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Arora, currently a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP, is at the centre of speculation that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal might be nominated to the upper house if Arora wins, although AAP leaders have dismissed such reports. Counting in Ludhiana West is being conducted at Khalsa College for Women.
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Skeleton handed over to police, says Lawyer for Dharmasthala mass burials case complainant
Belthangady: A skeleton, allegedly buried as mentioned in the complaint related to the Dharmasthala mass burials case, has been exhumed and handed over to the Belthangady police. Pawan Deshpande, the lawyer representing the complainant, stated that all necessary legal procedures were followed and a formal statement was recorded before the judge.
The complainant, who has alleged the mass burial of bodies in Dharmasthala, appeared before the Principal Civil Judge and JMFC Court of Belthangady Taluk on July 11 to give his statement.
Speaking to the media after the court proceedings, advocate Pawan Deshpande said, “The complainant is prepared to clearly identify the locations where the bodies were buried. We will cooperate fully with the police on whatever date they set. Relevant information has already been submitted, and there is a concern that evidence could be destroyed. It is now the responsibility of the police to act and exhume the bodies as per the statement.”
When asked about the identity of the accused in the case, Deshpande clarified that the details have been submitted to the court and are with the investigating officer. “We do not have access to that information,” he said.
The lawyer also confirmed that the complainant has not been arrested or taken into police custody. “He is with us and will appear whenever the police direct him to. The complainant is cooperating with the investigation,” Deshpande added.
