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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Uppinangady: Two-wheeler rider killed in truck collision
Uppinangady: A tragic road accident occurred in Uppinangady today when a two-wheeler rider was fatally hit by a truck near Suryambailu hospital.
The deceased has been identified as Ibrahim, a resident of Matha and the owner of Fashion World textile shop in Uppinangady.
According to sources, Ibrahim was traveling from Matha towards Uppinangady when the truck collided with his vehicle, leading to his untimely death.
