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Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nota votes reflect persistent voter discontent in Ludh West
Ludhiana: The Ludhiana West bypoll concluded with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora securing 35,179 votes. He defeated Congress's Bharat Bhushan Ashu by over 10,000 votes in a four-way contest that included the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The "None of the Above" (Nota) option received 793 votes. This figure, although modest, aligns with a consistent Nota trend in Ludhiana West across previous assembly elections, reflecting a segment of the electorate's frustration with political offerings. Out of 1,75,469 eligible voters, 793 Nota votes accounted for approximately 0.88% of the total votes cast. While not decisive, Nota's presence continues to signal underlying discontent in the constituency. An examination of the past three assembly elections provides context for the role of Nota. In the 2022 Punjab Assembly election, Nota received 1,173 votes, equivalent to 1% of the total, with a voter turnout of 63.73%. Gurpreet Bassi Gogi won the election, defeating Ashu by over 7,500 votes. Nota ranked fifth, following Gogi, Bikram Sidhu, Ashu, and Maheshinder Singh Grewal. You Can Also Check: Ludhiana AQI | Weather in Ludhiana | Bank Holidays in Ludhiana | Public Holidays in Ludhiana In 2017, with a turnout of 69.25% and 1,76,915 registered voters, Nota secured 1,068 votes, approximately 0.88% of the total. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stroud: If You Were Born Between 1945-1974 You Could Be Eligible For This British Seniors Read More Undo Bharat Bhushan Ashu won decisively, defeating AAP's Ahbaab Singh Grewal by over 36,000 votes. The 793 Nota votes in 2025, though lower in absolute terms than in 2022 and 2017, remain proportionally consistent, given the reduced turnout. "Nota reflects a demand for better representation," said Prof P S Bhogal, HoD Political Science, Arya College (retd). "Voters are rejecting candidates who fail to address their concerns." While Nota's steady presence poses a challenge for parties in Ludhiana West, since it does not influence the final outcome, voters may not use it as much as they could. "As per rules, even if Nota receives the maximum votes, there will not be a re-election and the candidate with the highest votes will be elected. This is why people do not use Nota to its full extent. Nevertheless, this number reflects a sense of discontent among the electorate," he said.
Hindustan Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
NOTA clocks more votes than independent candidates in Ludhiana West bypoll
In a clear display of public discontent, voters in Ludhiana West bypoll preferred the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option over all eight independent candidates and two regional parties Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and the National Lok Seva Party (NLSP), registering a strong disapproval for lesser known political alternatives. NOTA emerged as the fifth most preferred option among the voters, ranking just behind the main contenders such as AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD. (HT Photo) According to figures released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 793 voters pressed the NOTA button, accounting for 0.87% of the total vote share. This is slightly more than the combined votes received by all the eight Independent candidates in the fray, which stood at a mere 776. Notably, in this four-cornered contest dominated by mainstream political parties, NOTA emerged as the fifth most preferred option among the voters, ranking just behind the main contenders such as AAP, Congress, BJP, and SAD. Among the prominent candidates, AAP's Sanjeev Arora secured a large win with 35,179 votes, followed by Bharat Bhushan Ashu of the Congress who garnered 24,542 votes. BJP's Jiwan Gupta polled 20,323 votes, while SAD's nominee Parupkar Singh Ghuman stood fourth with 8,203 votes. In contrast, independent and small party candidates miserably failed to make an impact. Albert Dua Anu was the highest vote-getter among them, receiving just 280 votes out of total 90,160 which accounts for just 0.31% of total vote share. He was followed by Jatinder Kumar Sharma of the National Lok Seva Party with 173 votes (0.19%) and Navneet Kumar Gopi of SAD (A), who got 171 votes (0.18%). In addition to this, the performances of other independent candidates also remain negligible, where they struggled to cross even 0.2% mark. Among these, social media personality Neetu Shutteranwala polled 112 votes whereas the sole woman candidate in this fray, Renu, secured just 108 votes. The most educated candidate in the contest, Baldev Raj Katna, a postgraduate in electrical engineering, polled a mere 102 votes, and Rajesh Sharma received 87. At the bottom of the list remain Pawandeep Singh (39 votes), Paramjit Singh Bharaj (27 votes), and Gurdeep Kahlon (21 votes), each drawing less than 0.05% of the total vote share. The NOTA option on EVM machines, was introduced in 2013 which allows voters to officially record their dissatisfaction by choosing not to vote for any of the candidates on the ballot.
Scroll.in
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Bye-poll results: AAP leads in Punjab's Ludhiana West, Congress in Kerala's Nilambur
The counting of votes for assembly bye-polls across five constituencies in four states began on Monday. These bye-elections were held on June 19. In Kerala's Nilambur constituency, the Congress' Aryadan Shoukath was leading against the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s M Swaraj by 11,077 votes. The Aam Aadmi Party is leading in Punjab's Ludhiana West constituency and Gujarat's Visavadar seat. In Ludhiana West, the AAP's Sanjeev Arora is ahead of the Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu by 6,022 votes. In Visavadar, AAP candidate Gopal Italia was leading against the Bharatiya Janata Party's Kirit Patel by 17,554 votes. In West Bengal's Kaliganj seat, the Trinamool Congress' Alifa Ahmed was ahead of the BJP's Ashish Ghosh by 26,494 votes. In Gujarat's Kadi constituency, the BJP's Rajendrakumar Chavda was leading against the Congress' Rameshbhai Chavda by 38,624 votes. In Gujarat, the Visvadar seat fell vacant after sitting AAP MLA Bhupendra Bhayani joined the ruling BJP. The AAP's Gopal Italia, the BJP's Kirit Patel and the Congress' Nitin Ranpariya are contesting the elections from Visvadar. The Kadi bye-poll was necessitated after the death of BJP MLA Karshan Solanki. AAP's Jagdish Chavda, Congress's Ramesh Chavda and BJP's Rajendra Chavda are contesting the elections from Kadi. In Kerala, the Nilambur bye-poll was held after the resignation of Communist Party of India (Marxist)-backed Independent legislator PV Anvar. In West Bengal, the Kaliganj bye-poll was held after the death of Trinamool leader Nasiruddin Ahmed. In Punjab, the Ludhiana West's bye-election followed the death of AAP MLA Gurpreet Bassi Gogi. The constituency saw a four-cornered contest involving Sanjeev Arora from the AAP, Bharat Bhushan Ashu from the Congress, Jiwn Gupta from the BJP and Parupkar Singh Ghumman from the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Congress nominee Bharat Bhushan Ashu visits Ludhiana West polling booths on scooter and meets rival candidates.
Ludhiana: Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu brought a rare show of civility to the rough-and-tumble of Punjab politics on polling day, riding a scooter across Ludhiana West to greet party workers and share goodwill with his rivals. Ditching a car for a scooter to avoid traffic snarls, Ashu cast his vote early at 7 am and then toured dozens of polling booths, stopping to meet and boost the morale of Congress supporters. "All our workers are out working for the party, how can I stay indoors?" he told The Times of India. In a moment that made the rounds on social media quickly, Ashu crossed paths with BJP candidate Jeeva Gupta in the Green Avenue area. A video showed Gupta touching Ashu's feet respectfully before being embraced by the Congress nominee. Later, Ashu also shared a warm roadside greeting with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Parupkar Singh Ghuman. Ashu posted the encounters online with Punjabi captions promoting goodwill, including "Jado marji dekh lai aake, hasde hi rehne aa," — translating roughly to "Come see me anytime, I'll always be smiling." MSID:: 121954972 413 |
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Ration truck seized on poll eve, meant for voters, says Cong
Just hours before the Ludhiana West bypoll, tension gripped Sham Nagar as Mamta Ashu, former municipal councillor and wife of Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, intercepted a truck allegedly carrying ration meant to influence voters. According to Mamta Ashu, she was tipped off by local party workers that a truck filled with sacks of ration had arrived in Sham Nagar for distribution ahead of the vote. Acting on the information, she and her team rushed to the spot and halted the vehicle. The incident was streamed live on Facebook and covered by several media outlets. Mamta Ashu said, 'When we questioned the truck driver in front of mediapersons and on Facebook Live, he clearly stated that the truck and ration did not belong to him. He claimed a traffic police officer from Khanna City-1 police station got the truck refueled and directed him to deliver the ration sacks to two specific locations in Sham Nagar.' She further alleged that before the truck was caught, some of the ration had already been unloaded at a house in the locality. Despite her insistence, she claimed the police did not conduct a search at the suspected location. 'We demanded that the police check the house where the ration was dropped, but they refused to take action. We have now submitted a complaint through the C-Vigil app,' she added. Assistant commissioner of police (Civil Lines) Guriqbal Singh confirmed that the truck has been seized and that an investigation is underway. 'We have taken possession of the vehicle. The driver's statement is being recorded and we are verifying the claims made by the Congress, including the alleged involvement of a traffic policeman from Khanna,' said the ACP. Mamta Ashu said, 'We have submitted a formal complaint to the Election Commission and are demanding the registration of FIR. We are still waiting for the police to take legal action.'
