West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Assam By Election 2026: The by-elections to five Assembly constituencies across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and one Lok Sabha constituency in Assam, will be held on Tuesday, with voting beginning at 7 am. Counting of votes will be held on October 9. The by-elections hold significance following the BJP’s victory in West Bengal, ending TMC’s 15-year rule, and Vijay’s TVK’s victorious electoral debut in Tamil Nadu, and it remains to be seen how the new leaders have factored in with the electorate.In West Bengal, the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government faces its first electoral test after assuming power in the Assembly polls earlier this year. With Nandigram and Rejinagar going to polls, the Opposition faces a tough battle amid candidate withdrawals, arrests and allegations of police pressure on its workers.NandigramThe Nandigram seat paved the way for the TMC’s rise in 2011 following Mamata Banerjee’s anti-land acquisition movement, and it’s where Adhikari defeated the TMC supremo in 2021. Adhikari, now chief minister, won Nandigram again in the 2026 Assembly election but retained Bhabanipur, necessitating the bypoll.The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Adhikari. Chandranath was shot dead on May 6, two days after the BJP won the Assembly elections.The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction’s nominee Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her name after meeting Adhikari, following which Banerjee, left without a candidate, backed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan and described the move as an effort to strengthen the INDIA bloc. Pradhan was arrested in old cases linked to the 2007 Nandigram land-acquisition agitation but later secured interim bail and returned to campaign. The rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee has fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque under the envelope symbol and a separate temporary party identity. The CPI has nominated Santigopal Giri.RejinagarThe by-election in Rejinagar was necessitated after Humayun Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the 2026 Assembly election, retained Nowda. His Aam Janata Unnayan Party has fielded his son Golam Nabi Azad. Kabir had won Rejinagar by nearly 59,000 votes. The contest includes BJP nominee Sakharav Sarkar, former Murshidabad district president; Mamata-led TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury; rival TMC candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh; Congress nominee Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi; and CPI(M)’s Syed Asad Ali.Tamil NaduThe two seats in Tamil Nadu, Madurantakam and Dharapuram, saw four-day aggressive campaigning by TVK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, as the electoral contest would be crucial for his party. It is a four-cornered contest, with the TVK, DMK, AIADMK and CPI fielding their candidates. Both constituencies were vacated by AIADMK legislators who resigned within weeks of being elected and crossed over to Vijay. The same two leaders – Maragatham Kumaravel in Madurantakam and P Sathyabama in Dharapuram – are now contesting as TVK candidates.Story continues below this adThe DMK enters these by-elections without the broad alliance that accompanied it into the Assembly election. The Congress, VCK, MDMK and IUML have moved into Vijay’s political orbit, while the CPI and CPI(M) are contesting separately.A total of 27 contestants are in the fray for the bypoll at Madurantakam, and a total of 30 contestants are in the fray in the Dharapuram Assembly constituency. In Madurantakam, a total of 2,12, 639 voters will exercise their franchise in 268 polling stations. In Dharapuram, 2,22, 406 electors will exercise their franchise in 282 polling stations.Thattanchavady in PuducherryThe poll scenario is different in neighbouring Puducherry, where it’s a test of popularity for the four-month-old NDA government led by veteran N Rangasamy. Although a total of 11 candidates are in the fray, the battle is being seen as a three-cornered one between the ruling AINRC-led NDA, the Congress and its former ally DMK.While AINRC founder and CM Rangasamy has nominated Ashok Anand on behalf of the ruling party and the coalition it leads, the Congress has fielded E Vinayagam, who has the backing of the Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), which is part of the ruling alliance in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The DMK nominee is K Sedhu Selvam. CPI’s M A Saleem and S Karthikumari of actor-politician Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi are also fighting the poll battle.Story continues below this adNagaon Lok Sabha seat in AssamThe Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam would witness a triangular contest, with the ruling BJP seeking to expand its base in this Muslim-majority constituency, and the Congress going all out to retain the seat by keeping its minority support base intact. The AIUDF, the third prominent party in the fray, is fighting to maintain its influence after it was reduced to two MLAs from 16 in the April Assembly election.A total of 15 candidates, including nine Independents, are contesting the bypoll. Among the key candidates are ex-MLA Sibamoni Bora of the Congress, former IAS officer Devasish Sharma of the BJP and sitting MLA Badruddin Ajmal of the AIUDF. The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi quit the Congress to join the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections earlier this year.Out of the eight Assembly segments under the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, the BJP won four, the Congress three and Raijor Dal one in this year’s state elections. For the Congress, which won three out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 election, retaining Nagaon is crucial to prevent further erosion of its support base. The BJP, which has been aiming to spread its base among the Muslims, has viewed the Nagaon bypoll as an attempt to establish its presence across all sections of people and further strengthen its hold in the state.