Polling is underway on Tuesday in bypolls to six constituencies across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. The bypolls are being held in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, Thattanchavady in Puducherry, and the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.
Tamil Nadu
Polling for the by-elections to Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) Assembly constituencies began on a brisk note on Tuesday, where bye-elections are being held amid tight security arrangements.
According to the first turnout update released by the Election Commission,15.99 % of the voters had exercised their franchise in Madurantakam and 17.55% in Dharapuram as at 9.30 a.m.
Polling began at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. At 6 pm those who are on the queue will be allowed to vote.
A total of 2,13,788 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Madurantakam, while 2,23,306 voters are eligible to vote in Dharapuram.
The bye-elections have attracted considerable political attention. It is a five-cornered contest with the ruling TVK, the DMK, the AIADMK, the Left parties and the NTK are contesting. The PMK has adopted a neutral stand in this election.
In Madurantakam, 27 candidates are in the fray, while 22 candidates are contesting in Dharapuram.
Counting of votes will be taken up on October 9.
The elections were necessitated due to the resignation of then AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Satyabama from Madurantakam (Chengalpet dt) and Dharapuram (Tiruppur dt) before they joined the ruling TVK. They have been re-nominated. DMK and AIADMK are in the contest in both seats.
West Bengal
Polling began at 7 am for by-elections to Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly constituencies in West Bengal amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
Altogether 71 companies of central forces have been deployed for the bypolls, they said.
The contests will give the BJP an early reading of voter response to its governance since taking office in May, while opposition parties vie for space in a fragmented field, besides the ruling party and its rivals also seeking to gauge the minority electorate's voting preferences.
Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district offers the more symbolically charged contest.
The seat was the epicentre of former CM Mamata Banerjee’s anti-land acquisition movement that helped pave the way for the TMC’s rise in 2011. It was also where BJP's Suvendu Adhikari defeated Banerjee in 2021. Adhikari, now chief minister, won Nandigram again in the 2026 assembly election but retained Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll.
Rejinagar in Murshidabad presents a different political equation.
The seat fell vacant after Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the 2026 assembly election, retained Nowda. His Aam Janata Unnayan Party has fielded his son Golam Nabi Azad.
Puducherry
In Puducherry's Thattanchavady constituency, the bypoll is seen as a test of popularity for the four-month-old NDA government led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, whose resignation from this seat necessitated the electoral exercise.
Polling commenced at 7 am, with people gathered in front of polling booths ahead of the start of the commencement of polling and waited patiently to vote.
Assam
Polling for the by-election to Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency began at 7 am, with voters, mostly women, seen queuing up outside polling stations since early morning.
The by-election was necessitated as Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and successfully contested the assembly elections from Dispur on a BJP ticket.
While the bypoll result will not impact the balance of power in Parliament, stakes are high for the major political parties.