Counting began at 8 am on Friday for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam and Assembly by-elections in West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar, Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam and Dharapuram, and Puducherry’s Thattanchavady. Counting began with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), amid tight security.
All India N.R. Congress candidate Ashok Anand won the Thattanchavady Assembly bypoll in Puducherry with 13,358 votes.
Nagaon recorded a voter turnout of 76.19 per cent, while Nandigram and Rejinagar registered 80.89 per cent and 80.08 per cent, respectively. The West Bengal results are being closely watched as the BJP faces its first electoral test since ending the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state in May.
The contests come amid Opposition allegations of irregularities during polling in West Bengal, which the BJP has rejected. In Tamil Nadu the ruling TVK is expecting sweep in the two seats, and Opposition parties seeking to assess their electoral standing. The Nagaon result will not affect the balance of power in the Lok Sabha, while the West Bengal bypolls are not expected to alter the BJP government’s majority.
TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel had secured 31,061 votes after the eighth round of counting in the Madurantakam Assembly bypoll. DMK candidate I. Paranthamen had polled 20,818 votes, while AIADMK’s S. Kanithasampath had secured 17,851.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma was leading by 82,814 votes in Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, according to Election Commission data. Sharma had secured 247,821 votes, against 165,007 for All India United Democratic Front candidate Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora had polled 42,735 votes.
BJP candidates widened their leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar as counting continued in the West Bengal Assembly by-elections, according to Election Commission data. In Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead by 34,501 votes after the fifth round, securing 48,101 votes against 13,600 for Aam Janata Unnayan Party candidate Golam Nabi Azad (Robin). Trinamool Congress candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury polled 2,516 votes, while Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi secured 2,407.
In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath led by 59,540 votes after the seventh round, securing 78,025 votes against 18,485 for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri was third with 2,997 votes, according to Election Commission data.
TVK candidate P Sathyabama continued to lead in the Dharapuram bypoll in Tamil Nadu after the 12th round of counting, securing 34,987 votes. DMK candidate S Suganya was in second place with 28,567 votes, followed by AIADMK candidate K Banumathi with 25,307 votes. Sathyabama was ahead of Suganya by 6,420 votes, according to Election Commission data.
TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel continued to lead in the Madurantakam bypoll in Tamil Nadu after the seventh round of counting, securing 27,460 votes. DMK candidate I Paranthamen was in second place with 18,668 votes, followed by AIADMK candidate S Kanithasampath with 16,201 votes. Kumaravel was ahead of Paranthamen by 8,792 votes, according to Election Commission data.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma widened his lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam to 86,347 votes, securing 2,01,869 votes against 1,15,522 for his nearest rival, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, according to Election Commission data.
TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel continued to lead in the Madurantakam bypoll in Tamil Nadu after the fifth round of counting, securing 20,067 votes. DMK candidate I Paranthamen was in second place with 13,829 votes, followed by AIADMK candidate Kanitha Sampath with 11,442 votes. Kumaravel was ahead of Paranthamen by 6,238 votes.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma widened his lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam, leading by 75,248 votes, according to Election Commission data. Sharma secured 1,81,017 votes, while his nearest rival, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, polled 1,05,769 votes. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora was in third place with 29,826 votes.
BJP candidates widened their leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar as counting continued for the West Bengal Assembly by-elections, according to early Election Commission trends. In Muslim-majority Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead by 16,550 votes after the second round, polling 20,415 votes against 3,865 for Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) candidate Golam Nabi Azad, son of party chief Humayun Kabir. Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi was third with 1,291 votes. Trinamool Congress candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury secured 753 votes, while Safiuzzaman Saikh of the Democratic Trinamool Congress faction led by Arup Roy polled 295.
In Nandigram, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath, mother of slain personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Chandranath Rath, led by 27,450 votes after the third round. She secured 34,820 votes, against 7,370 for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri was third with 1,289 votes.
All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) candidate Ashok Anand won the Thattanchavady Assembly bypoll in Puducherry with 13,358 votes, defeating Congress candidate E. Vinayagam, who secured 4,876 votes. Anand won by a margin of 8,482 votes. DMK candidate K. Sethu alias Sethuselvam finished third with 2,664 votes, according to the Election Commission of India. All four rounds of EVM counting have been completed.
BJP’s Hasi Rani Rath has secured 24,056 votes, leading Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 19,691 votes. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri has polled 871 votes.
BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar has secured 11,614 votes, leading Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi, who has polled 581 votes. Golam Nabi Azad (Robin) of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party has secured 446 votes, while CPI(M)’s Md Sayeed has polled 199.
In Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, Devasish Sharma of BJP leads over nearest rival Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal of AIUDF by 52,177 votes.
TVK’s Sathyabama P is ahead with 724 votes, followed by AIADMK’s Banumathi.K with 12,489 and DMK’s S Suganya with 11,554, according to the latest figures.
BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar leads with a huge margin of 11,033 votes in the Rejinagar bypoll. Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi trails with 581 votes, followed by Aam Janata Unnayan party’s Golam Nabi Azad (Robin) with 446 votes.
AINRC candidate, backed by BJP and AIADMK, Ashok Anand leads by a huge margin of 10,467 in the fourth round of counting for the Thattanchavady bypoll. E. Vinayagam of the Congress party trails with 3,693 votes.
TVK’s K Maragatham Kumaravel has secured 7615 votes, ahead of DMK’s I Paranthamen with 6,008 and AIADMK’s S Kanithasampath with 4,301votes after the first round of counting.
BJP’s Devasish Sharma has secured 59,865 votes, leading AIUDF’s Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal by 36,373 votes, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora has polled 7,668 votes.
BJP’s Devasish Sharma has polled 47,402 votes, leading AIUDF’s Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal by 26,295 votes, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora has secured 6,544 votes.
AIADMK’s K Banumathi is ahead with 5,573 votes, followed by TVK’s P Sathyabama with 4,981 and DMK’s S Suganya with 4,016, according to the latest figures.
TVK’s K Maragatham Kumaravel has secured 3,571 votes, ahead of DMK’s I Paranthamen with 2,611 and AIADMK’s S Kanithasampath with 2,078, after the first round of counting.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma was leading with 22,472 votes, ahead of AIUDF chief Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, who had secured 6,726 votes, according to the latest figures. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora was in third place with 3,602 votes.
Early trends in counting for the October 6 bypolls indicated an advantage for Tamil Nadu’s ruling TVK and Puducherry’s AINRC, led by Chief Ministers C Joseph Vijay and N Rangasamy, respectively. Counting began at 8 am on Friday.
In Tamil Nadu, TVK was ahead, followed by the DMK and AIADMK, while early trends in Puducherry favoured the AINRC-led NDA government. The trends may change as counting progresses. - PTI
BJP candidates Hasirani Rath and Sakharav Sarkar were leading in Nandigram and Rejinagar, respectively, as postal ballot counting progressed on Friday, according to media reports. The Election Commission had not released official figures yet.
Security has been tightened at Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic College in Puducherry’s Thattanchavady constituency ahead of the Assembly bypoll vote counting, with heavy police deployment at the venue.
Counting is under way for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly bypolls in Tamil Nadu. Both constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes.
In neighbouring Puducherry, votes are being counted for the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency.
The by-elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry were necessitated by the resignation of the incumbent MLAs, including Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy from Thattanchavady. The contests are being watched by the ruling TVK in Tamil Nadu and the AINRC government in Puducherry, as well as Opposition parties seeking to assess their electoral standing.
Counting began in Nandigram and Rejinagar, marking the BJP's first electoral test since it came to power in West Bengal in May this year.
Counting in both constituencies is being conducted in two halls and is scheduled to be completed in 15 rounds. Separate halls have been earmarked for postal ballots and ETPB votes.
The BJP won 207 of the 294 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, and the bypoll results are not expected to affect the government's majority.
Nandigram recorded a voter turnout of 80.89 per cent, while Rejinagar recorded 80.08 per cent during polling on Tuesday. The Election Commission described polling as “more or less peaceful”.
Opposition parties alleged voter intimidation, irregularities at polling booths and the removal of their polling agents, and demanded fresh polling. The BJP rejected the allegations, maintaining that polling had been peaceful.
The arrest of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir following a confrontation with police in Rejinagar was among the major incidents during polling. The by-election was necessitated after Kabir vacated Rejinagar and retained Nowda.
The results are being watched for indications of the BJP's performance after it ended the Trinamool Congress's 15-year rule, amid divisions within the TMC and the presence of multiple political formations.
In Nandigram, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defeated TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in the 2021 Assembly elections and won the seat again in 2026 before retaining Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll. The BJP fielded Hasirani Rath, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan is backed by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction after its candidate withdrew. A rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is also contesting the seat.
In Rejinagar, the candidates include BJP's Sakharav Sarkar, Mamata-led TMC nominee Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, rival TMC candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh, Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, CPI(M)'s Syed Asad Ali and AJUP nominee Golam Nabi Azad, son of Humayun Kabir.
Counting is under way at two centres — Dawson Higher Secondary School and Government Boys' School in Nagaon — with 14 tables at each centre. Security has been tightened, and candidates and political parties must obtain district administration permission before taking out victory processions.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma, a former IAS officer, is contesting against Congress nominee and former MLA Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. A total of 15 candidates are in the fray.
The bypoll recorded a voter turnout of 76.19 per cent on October 6. It was necessitated by Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi's resignation after he successfully contested the Dispur Assembly seat on a BJP ticket earlier this year. The result will not affect the balance of power in the Lok Sabha.
Nagaon has 19.05 lakh electors, including 9.43 lakh women and 50 third-gender voters, across 2,312 polling stations.
Counting began with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), officials said. In West Bengal, Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballots (ETPB) were also taken up before the EVM count.