Bypolls underway in six seats across Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam

• Polling is underway in five assembly seats and Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat across four states/UTs; results will be announced on 9 October

• The bypolls follow vacancies caused by resignations in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam, with key parties contesting all six seats

• EVMs and VVPATs are being used at all polling stations, with electoral rolls updated ahead of the polls

Polling began at 7 am on Tuesday for by-elections to five assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam. Counting of votes will take place on 9 October.

The assembly seats going to the polls are Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, and Thattanchavady in Puducherry. Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency is also witnessing a bypoll.

The Nagaon seat fell vacant after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and subsequently contested the Assam assembly election from Dispur on a BJP ticket. The contest features the BJP, Congress and AIUDF among 15 candidates.

In West Bengal, the Nandigram bypoll was necessitated after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly polls, retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram. The Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir retained Nowda after winning both constituencies.

The Nandigram contest includes candidates from the BJP, the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction, the rival TMC faction and the Left, among others. In Rejinagar, the BJP, Congress, CPI(M), TMC factions and Kabir's AJUP are among those in the fray.

In Tamil Nadu, bypolls are being held in Madurantakam and Dharapuram after the sitting AIADMK MLAs resigned and joined the ruling TVK. The contests are also being closely watched as a major electoral test for actor-politician Vijay's party.

In Puducherry, the Thattanchavady seat fell vacant after Chief Minister N. Rangasamy resigned from the constituency while retaining Mangalam following the Assembly elections.

The Election Commission has deployed EVMs and VVPATs across all polling stations. The commission had also completed a special revision of electoral rolls for the constituencies before the bypolls, with continuous updating allowed until the nomination deadline.

Campaigning for the six seats ended on Sunday, with parties making a final push ahead of polling. Results will be declared on 9 October.

With agency inputs