Procedures and polls

• By-elections in five Assembly constituencies in Gujarat, Nilambur, Punjab, and West Bengal indicate local and regional factors.

• Congress-led United Democratic Front candidate Aryadan Shoukath won Nilambur seat.

• P.V. Anvar, a left-backed independent, vacated the seat after a clash with the ruling coalition.

• The outcome could affect the tone of campaigning for the Kerala Assembly elections next year.

• In Kaliganj, ruling TMC candidate Alifa Ahmed won by over 50,000 votes.

• Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won in Visavadar and Ludhiana West, retaining its stake in State politics.

• New initiatives by the ECI include mobile deposit facility, upgraded voter turnout sharing process, and webcasting at 100% of polling stations.

• ECI must continue to take proactive measures to ensure fairness and transparency in the electoral process.