Bypolls 2026: Voting Underway In Six Seats Across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry

Voting began on Tuesday across six constituencies in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry following an intense campaign for the bypolls.

The seats going to polls are Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, Thattanchavady in Puducherry and the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam.

The seats were vacated after their sitting legislators resigned following the April 2026 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Several politicians had contested from two constituencies and later retained one seat.

West Bengal Bypolls

In West Bengal, the Nandigram seat was vacated by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who retained Bhabanipur after defeating TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

Adhikari campaigned for BJP candidate Hasirani Rath, mother of his slain aide Chandranath Rath, during a foot march in Nandigram on Sunday. During the campaign, he also targeted Mamata Banerjee over her leg injury.

He alleged that the previous TMC government had “misused” the CID to frame BJP leaders in an attempt-to-murder case following Banerjee’s “false claims” of a leg injury during the 2021 elections.

The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Humayun Kabir, founder of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), retained Nawda after winning both constituencies. His son, Golam Nabi Azad, is contesting the bypoll on an AJUP ticket.

The contest also includes TMC’s Mamata faction candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel TMC faction’s nominee Safiuzzaman Sheikh and Congress candidate Mohd Abdullahil Kafi.

Tamil Nadu Bypolls

In Tamil Nadu, Madurantakam and Dharapuram were vacated by former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama after they joined actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Vijay has fielded both former MLAs from their respective constituencies.

The DMK has nominated former MLA I Paranthamen from Madurantakam and Suganya from Dharapuram.

Vijay campaigned for Sathyabama in Dharapuram with a 40-km roadshow. Targeting the DMK, he accused the party of making remarks against women and said such attacks had “crossed the line”, adding that he would not remain silent.

Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha Bypoll

The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat became vacant in March after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party, joined the BJP and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat in the April elections.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma campaigned for BJP candidate and former bureaucrat Devasish Sharma.

Acknowledging the BJP’s electoral challenge in Nagaon, where Muslims constitute a majority of voters, Sarma nevertheless predicted a victory margin of 250,000 to 300,000 votes.

Puducherry: Thattanchavady Bypoll

In Puducherry, the Thattanchavady Assembly seat was vacated by Chief Minister N Rangasamy after he retained Mangalam, having won both constituencies.

The seat is witnessing a multi-cornered contest, with 11 candidates in the fray, including nominees backed by the ruling AINRC-led alliance and the united opposition.