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.
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 and Puducherry, the results will be watched by the ruling TVK and AINRC governments, respectively, 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.
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.
WATCH | Puducherry: Security tightened at Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic College in Thattanchavady constituency ahead of the assembly bypoll vote counting. Heavy police deployment is in place at the venue. pic.twitter.com/fmAr8v80KO
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
#WATCH | Madurantakam, Tamil Nadu | Counting of votes for the Madurantakam Assembly bypoll is underway amid tight security
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
NTK Madurantakam Candidate Janakiraman says, "NTK will be the real change, not TVK; we have trust in the people." pic.twitter.com/PbCHRw14n6
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.
VIDEO | Puducherry: Vote counting underway for the Thattanchavady Assembly bypoll, with EVM votes being counted in four rounds across eight tables.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 9, 2026
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) pic.twitter.com/dv2oG8oR00
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.
#WATCH | East Midnapore, West Bengal: Vote counting commences for the Nandigram Assembly constituency by-election. Heavy security force deployed at the vote-counting centre. (Visuals from the counting centre) https://t.co/wTolA7tviS
— ANI (@ANI) October 9, 2026
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.
VIDEO | Assam: The counting of votes for the bypoll to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam began at 8 am on Friday amid tight security.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 9, 2026
The process started with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in EVMs. Counting is being held at two centres, the Dawson Higher Secondary… pic.twitter.com/yf4byJVKfW
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.
