India, June 24 -- Months after suffering a major setback in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has bounced back with critical bypoll victories in Gujarat and Punjab, signaling a strong resurgence for party chief Arvind Kejriwal. The standout win came from Visavadar in Gujarat, where Gopal Italia defeated the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah's home state-making it a high-impact political upset.

While the Ludhiana West seat win in Punjab boosted AAP's image in a state it governs, the Gujarat result carried greater symbolic weight. Visavadar hasn't been a BJP fortress since 2007, but AAP's victory here is notable because the party's earlier MLA, Bhupendra Bhayani, had defected to the BJP just four months ago. De...