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Counting of votes for the byelections held in five assembly constituencies across four states—Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal, and Gujarat—will take place from 8 am on Monday, June 23. These bypolls, conducted on June 19, were necessitated by a combination of resignations and deaths of sitting legislators. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deployed tight security and made extensive arrangements for a smooth counting process, with strong political implications for all major parties involved.

Tight Contest in Kerala’s Nilambur Seat

In Kerala, votes for the Nilambur Assembly constituency will be counted at the Chungathara Marthoma Higher Secondary School, where the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being guarded round-the-clock by Central Armed Police Forces and State Police personnel. Chief Electoral Officer Dr Ratan U Kelkar said the strong room would be opened at 7:30 am in the presence of candidates’ agents, and counting would begin at 8 am.

According to an official release cited by ANI, 19 rounds of counting will be conducted across 14 tables, with five tables designated for counting postal ballots, including Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) ballots. Votes from the EVMs will be tallied only after the postal ballots are counted. VVPAT slips from five randomly selected booths will be matched with EVM counts to ensure transparency.

The byelection in Nilambur witnessed a 70.76 per cent turnout. The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) fielded M Swaraj, while the United Democratic Front (UDF) chose Aryadan Shoukath. The BJP nominated Adv. Mohan George. Former MLA PV Anvar, whose resignation triggered the bypoll, contested as an independent and is now aligned with the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Aryadan Shoukath, representing the UDF, criticised the state government saying, “The state government has totally neglected Nilambur area,” citing a lack of rehabilitation for tribal communities and increasing human-animal conflict.

Congress leader and Kerala LoP VD Satheesan described the bypoll as “a semi-final leading up to the 2026 Assembly elections,” adding, “We see this as an opportunity to hold the Pinarayi government accountable, a government that has been in power for the past nine years.”

Punjab’s Ludhiana West: AAP vs Congress in Prestige Battle

The Ludhiana West bypoll, triggered by the demise of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi, is being seen as a crucial test for Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). According to PTI, voting saw a turnout of 51.33 per cent, significantly lower than the 64 per cent recorded during the 2022 Assembly elections. Fourteen candidates contested in this high-profile urban seat.

Counting will take place at the Khalsa College for Women in Ludhiana under heavy security. The AAP has fielded Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist Sanjeev Arora, while the Congress is represented by senior leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu. The BJP nominated Jiwan Gupta and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) fielded Parupkar Singh Ghuman.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called the contest “a battle between humility and arrogance,” stating that Arora embodies simplicity whereas his Congress rival represents arrogance. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal promised to induct Arora as a cabinet minister if elected. Congress hopes to reclaim the seat it previously held six times.

The BJP is also eyeing a strong performance, having led from this segment in the recent Lok Sabha elections, although their candidate Ravneet Singh Bittu ultimately lost to Congress’s Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

Bengal’s Kaliganj Bypoll

West Bengal’s Kaliganj constituency on Thursday recorded a 69.85 per cent voter turnout. The byelection was necessitated by the death of TMC MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed. His daughter, Alifa Ahamed, is contesting the seat for the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The BJP has fielded Ashis Ghosh, while Congress candidate Kabil Uddin Shaikh is supported by the CPI(M). Fourteen central force companies were deployed to ensure peaceful polling. A minor controversy erupted when Ghosh alleged that indelible ink was applied to the wrong finger under pressure from TMC agents. Poll officials denied any violation but sought a report from the district magistrate.

Gujarat: BJP Looks to Reclaim Ground in Kadi and Visavadar

Gujarat witnessed bypolls in the Visavadar and Kadi constituencies. Visavadar saw 54.61 per cent turnout while Kadi registered 54.49 per cent, as per PTI.

The Visavadar seat was vacated after AAP’s Bhupendra Bhayani resigned and joined the BJP. BJP’s Kirit Patel, Congress’s Nitin Ranpariya, and AAP’s former state president Gopal Italia are the main contenders.

Kadi, a Scheduled Caste-reserved seat, fell vacant following the death of BJP MLA Karsan Solanki. The BJP has fielded Rajendra Chavda, the Congress nominated Ramesh Chavda, and the AAP’s candidate is Jagdish Chavda.

Despite BJP’s statewide dominance, the party has not won Visavadar since 2007. Party leaders are hopeful of breaking the jinx this time.

The ECI deployed 1,354 polling stations for the bypolls and webcasting was conducted in all but one. For the first time, a mobile phone deposit facility was made available at polling stations, with voters asked to leave their devices outside under the supervision of EC-appointed volunteers to prevent violations of polling norms.

The results of all five bypolls will be declared on June 23.