Campaign ends for high-stakes bypolls in three States, one U.T.
The bypolls set to take place on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) will be held in five Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, as well as in one Lok Sabha seat in Assam; the votes will be counted on Friday
The campaign for byelections in five Assembly constituencies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, and one Lok Sabha constituency in Assam, concluded on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Voting is set for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, with vote counting scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026.
In Assam's Nagaon constituency, the Lok Sabha bypoll is expected to be a tight race between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). The constituency has about 19.07 lakh voters and 15 candidates, including nine independents. The top contenders are BJP's former bureaucrat Devasish Sharma, Congress's ex-MLA Sibamoni Bora, and AIUDF's chief and MLA Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal.
The bypoll was triggered by Pradyut Bordoloi, who resigned from the Congress to join the BJP before the April 2026 Assembly election.
West Bengal's bypolls will take place in Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies. In Nandigram, the election arose after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated the seat to contest in the Bhabanipur constituency, where he defeated Mamata Banerjee. Rejinagar's vacating also followed Humayun Kabir's resignation to contest from Nowda.
The Nandigram campaign was marred by controversies, with Mamata Banerjee's candidate withdrawing after meeting Adhikari, Banerjee supporting the Congress nominee, and Pradhan later being granted bail.
In Tamil Nadu, Madurantakam (SC) in Chengalpattu and Dharapuram (SC) in Tiruppur will hold Assembly bypolls. Both constituencies were vacated following the resignation of their AIADMK candidates in May 2026. The byelections will see a five-cornered battle between the TVK-led Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance, DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance, the Left Front, and the Naam Tamilar Katchi.
Puducherry's Thattanchavady Assembly seat will also vote on Tuesday, after Chief Minister N. Rangasamy vacated it to retain the Mangalam constituency. The bypoll is expected to be contested by the Congress, DMK, AINRC, and the CPI.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
