The BJP on Friday won the Assembly by-elections in West Bengal’s Nandigram by a record margin of 1,22,753 votes and in Rejinagar, in Murshidabad district, by 75,816 votes. In Assam, the BJP also won in the by-election to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat by 1.42 lakh votes.
In Tamil Nadu, the ruling TVK won the bypolls in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency by a margin of 9,471 votes and in Madurantakam by 20,040 votes. In neighbouring Puducherry, the ruling AINRC won the Thattanchavady bypoll by a margin of over 8,000 votes.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, Devasish Sharma of BJP leads over nearest rival Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal of AIUDF by 52,177 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
TVK candidate P. Sathyabama crossed the 50,000-vote mark in Dharapuram after the 17th round of counting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly bypoll. She secured 51,253 votes, leading DMK candidate S. Suganya by 8,863 votes. AIADMK candidate K. Banumathi was third with 32,892 votes.
BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath secured 1,32,052 votes and led Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 97,522 votes after the 12th round of counting in Nandigram, West Bengal. In Rejinagar, BJP’s Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead by 37,506 votes with 61,386 votes, against 23,880 for Aam Janata Unnayan Party candidate Golam Nabi Azad.
At the end of Round 9, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel secured 34,894 votes, ahead of DMK’s I Paranthamen with 23,203 votes and AIADMK’s Kanitha Sampath with 19,554 votes. Kumaravel leads Paranthamen by 11,691 votes.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma achieved an unassailable lead of 1,10,629 votes over his nearest rival, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, as counting of votes polled in the by-election to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam was underway on Friday, according to the Election Commission.
Sharma, a former IAS officer, polled 4,20,705 votes, while Ajmal secured 3,10,076 votes and Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora was a distant third with 75,908, the EC said on its website
After the end of Round 20, TVK's Sathyabhama P is nearing win with a lead of almost 10,000 votes.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday claimed that the minority community had found a “friend” in the BJP and voted for the party in large numbers in the Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls.
Speaking at the state secretariat, Adhikari asserted that the BJP secured around 60 per cent of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram, expressing confidence that the party's vote share would cross 60 per cent in the next elections.
In Madurantakam, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel maintained a steady lead from the beginning and by 12th round it was well over 13,000 votes. DMK nominee I Paranthamen continued to be at the second spot and the AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath third.
As the initial trend favouring the TVK sustained, it appears that the Opposition allegations of horse-trading and betrayal has not cut ice with the voters.
Tamil Nadu's ruling TVK on Friday appeared all set to win the bypolls to Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies as the margin between the Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led party and its nearest rival DMK continued to widen as counting of votes progressed towards completion.
While the fortunes of TVK nominee in Dharapuram P Sathyabama initially witnessed a see-saw battle with the AIADMK surging to the first place following a number of rounds, subsequently she established a clear lead and towards the close of 20th round she was leading by 10,003 votes.
In Madurantakam, TVK candidate Maragatham Kumaravel maintained a steady lead from the beginning and by 12th round it was well over 13,000 votes. DMK nominee I Paranthamen continued to be at the second spot and the AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath third.
As the initial trend favouring the TVK sustained, it appears that the Opposition allegations of horse-trading and betrayal has not cut ice with the voters. The CPI(M), which is supporting the government from outside had also made similar allegations.
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma achieved an unassailable lead of 1,46,180 votes over his nearest rival, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, as counting of votes polled in the by-election to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam was underway on Friday, according to the Election Commission.
Sharma, a former IAS officer, polled 5,28,938 votes, while Ajmal secured 3,82,758 votes and Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora was a distant third with 95,881, the EC said on its website.
The BJP candidate has established considerable leads in the four assembly segments of Morigaon, Raha, Jagiroad and Nagaon-Batadrava, while Ajmal was ahead in Muslim-majority segments of Dhing, Samaguri, Laharighat and Rupahihat.
Tamil Nadu Minister Nirmal Kumar on Friday termed the ruling TVK's by-poll victory in Madurantakam and Dharapuram as an endorsement of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's governance and leadership.
Reacting to the emerging counting trends indicating an overwhelming victory for TVK, the minister told reporters in Chennai: "The credit for the victory goes to Chief Minister Vijay's governance and leadership. The results are a direct endorsement of the good governance of the 4-month-old TVK government."
The BJP on Friday secured unassailable leads in politically significant Nandigram and Muslim-majority Rejinagar, with margins of 1,22,753 votes and 75,816 votes, respectively, as the West Bengal by-elections laid bare the vulnerabilities of a fragmented opposition.
Although the counting was over, the EC was yet to announce the results.
According to the latest EC figures, BJP's Nandigram candidate Hasirani Rath was leading over Congress nominee Milan Pradhan, supported by former CM Mamata Banerjee, by 1,22,753 votes after all 17 rounds of counting. Rath, the mother of CM Suvendu Adhikari's slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, secured 1,64,427 votes against Pradhan's 41,674.
All other candidates, including those of the Left Front, ISF, and the rebel TMC faction -- Democratic Trinamool Congress -- lost their deposits. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri finished a distant third with 5,779 votes.
In Rejinagar, a constituency in Murshidabad district with a nearly 70% Muslim electorate, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar was ahead of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad by 75,816 votes after all 15 rounds. Sarkar polled 1,29,914 votes, while Azad, son of AJUP founder Humayun Kabir, secured 54,098 after 15 rounds of counting.
The trends offered two contrasting but politically significant readings of West Bengal's changing electoral landscape: The BJP's consolidation in Nandigram, a constituency key to the state's political history, and its unexpectedly strong showing in Rejinagar, where minority votes have traditionally shaped electoral contests.
BJP's Nandigram assembly by-election candidate Hasirani Rath trounced her nearest rival, Milan Pradhan of the Congress, by a record margin of 1,22,753 votes, as the EC declared the results on Friday.
Rath, mother of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, polled 1,64,427 votes in the politically significant constituency in Purba Medinipur district against Pradhan's 41,674.
All other candidates, including those of the Left Front, ISF, and the rebel TMC faction -- Democratic Trinamool Congress -- lost their deposits. CPI candidate Santi Gopal Giri finished a distant third with 5,779 votes.
The result marks a significant consolidation of the BJP's position in Nandigram, which has occupied a key place in West Bengal's political narrative since the anti-land acquisition movement helped propel the Trinamool Congress to power in 2011.
The constituency subsequently became the site of a high-profile electoral battle between Adhikari and Mamata Banerjee, with the BJP leader defeating the then CM in the 2021 assembly elections.
Reacting to the BJP's performance in states where assembly bypolls were held, former Union Minister Smriti Irani thanked the voters and claimed "results prove that democracy has won over mobocracy."
The BJP on Friday won the Rejinagar assembly seat in West Bengal's Murshidabad district by a margin of 75,816 votes, making a significant breakthrough in the Muslim-majority constituency.
BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar polled 1,29,914 votes in the by-election, defeating his nearest rival, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) nominee Golam Nabi Azad, who secured 54,098 votes, according to the results declared by the Election Commission.
BJP bagged around 63.14 per cent of the votes, whereas Azad secured 26.29 per cent.
The victory came amid a fragmented opposition, with the Congress, the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress and the breakaway Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTMC) failing to mount a competitive challenge.
Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi secured 6,168 votes, narrowly ahead of Mamata TMC nominee Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, who polled 3,847 votes.
Safiuzzaman Saikh, the DTMC candidate, received 2,044 votes. The CPI(M) bagged 3,797 votes.
Rejinagar has a nearly 70 per cent Muslim electorate and has traditionally witnessed contests involving the TMC, Congress and regional political formations.
The BJP's victory puts the spotlight on the changing electoral equations in the constituency, though the result alone does not establish how individual communities voted.
The bypoll was necessitated after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir vacated the seat. Kabir, a former TMC leader who subsequently founded the AJUP, had won Rejinagar by more than 58,000 votes in the 2026 assembly elections, but retained Nowda.
His son, Golam Nabi Azad, contested the bypoll on the AJUP ticket.
TVK's Dharapuram assembly constituency candidate P Sathyabama declared winner by EC, defeats DMK's S Suganya by margin of 9,471 votes.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Friday congratulated TVK candidates Sathyabama and Maragatham Kumaravel on their “victory” in the by-elections.
While Sathyabama has been declared the winner in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency, the Election Commission is yet to declare the result in Madurantakam, where Maragatham Kumaravel is leading by a wide margin.
Targeting the Opposition DMK, Vijay said the electoral “victory” was a vote against “defamatory speech aimed at women”.
DMK president MK Stalin on Friday described the TVK's bypoll win as a “temporary victory for betrayal” and said the downfall of “false image politics” had begun.
In a social media post written in Tamil, the former CM described the Tamil Nadu by-elections as a “blatant murder of democracy”.
Stalin also accused Chief Minister C Jospeh Vijay of violating the model code of conduct by announcing welfare initiatives after the by-elections were notified.
TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel the winner in the Madurantakam Assembly constituency, defeating DMK's I Paranthamen by a margin of 20,040 votes, according to EC.
Maragatham secured 74,048 votes, while Paranthamen received 54,008. AIADMK candidate S Kanitha Sampath finished third with 47,450 votes.
The CPI(M) on Friday alleged the BJP achieved emphatic victories in Rejinagar and Nandigram bypolls through "vote loot" and termed it the ruling party's "platinum model", in an allusion to the "diamond model" linked to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and his parliamentary constituency of Diamond Harbour.
BJP's Devasish Sharma wins the by-election to Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of over 1.42 lakh votes, defeating AIUDF's Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, according to the EC.
Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finishes third.