24 JUNE 2025 FACT RECORDER
National Desk: AAP Gains Political Lifeline with Bypoll Wins, Congress Faces Growing Pressure in Punjab and Gujarat The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has staged a notable political comeback by winning two of the five recent assembly bypolls — Ludhiana West in Punjab and Visavadar in Gujarat. These victories have significantly boosted the party’s morale following its loss of power in Delhi and have positioned AAP as a serious contender ahead of the 2027 state elections.
Significant Wins in Ludhiana and Visavadar In Punjab’s Ludhiana West, AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora defeated Congress veteran Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 10,637 votes. In Gujarat’s Visavadar, Gopal Italia of AAP won by a margin of 17,554 votes against BJP’s Kirit Patel. Notably, the Visavadar seat became vacant after AAP’s Bhupendra Bhayani switched to BJP, prompting the bypoll — yet BJP failed to reclaim it.
A Comeback After Delhi Setback Following a major setback in the Delhi Assembly elections, where Arvind Kejriwal lost both power and his seat, AAP’s political future was in question. However, these two bypoll wins have injected new life into the party, especially in states like Punjab and Gujarat, where both Congress and BJP are strong players.
Kejriwal Takes Aim at BJP and Congress Post-victory, Kejriwal tweeted his gratitude to voters in both states, stating that the increased margins of victory show growing public support. He accused both Congress and BJP of conspiring to defeat AAP but claimed the people rejected both parties.
Congress Left Reeling Congress’s loss in both bypolls has raised serious questions about its strategy. In Gujarat, despite organizational revamps and increased focus by Rahul Gandhi, the party’s candidate received only 5,501 votes in Visavadar. The loss of Ludhiana West — considered a semi-final for the 2027 Punjab elections — is another big blow. It suggests Congress’s anticipated revival in these states may now be more difficult than expected.
