Voting underway in high-stakes bypolls across three states and one Union Territory
Bypolls were held on Tuesday across five Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat, with voting concluding in constituencies spread across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry, and Assam. The elections recorded generally high voter turnout, with Tamil Nadu's Madurantakam Assembly constituency registering the highest polling percentage at 86%. Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu saw turnout just over 80%, while Puducherry's Thattanchavady recorded 80.8% polling. Both Tamil Nadu seats were reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates.
In West Bengal, bypolls were held in Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats with voter turnout of almost 80%, though many voters were unable to participate as their electoral roll inclusion remained under appeal in Appellate Tribunals. Opposition parties raised allegations of electoral malpractice, with Congress seeking a repoll in both constituencies. Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha byelection saw approximately 76% voting among 19.05 lakh electors. The bypoll was necessitated after Pradyut Bordoloi, who won the seat for the second successive term in 2024, quit Congress to contest and win the Dispur Assembly seat on a BJP ticket.
The vote counting is scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026. Minor incidents were reported during polling, and West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer received 97 official complaints through designated portals on polling day.
