Bypoll counting underway: Suvendu's Nandigram stakes and Vijay's test of TVK appeal

Counting began on Friday for by-elections to five Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam, with the results set to provide an early electoral test for West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay. The contests in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, Thattanchavady in Puducherry and Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency come after significant political changes in the respective regions. However, the spotlight is on Nandigram, a constituency central to Adhikari's rivalry with former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and the two Tamil Nadu seats that will test the ruling TVK's electoral support. Why Nandigram is crucial for Suvendu Adhikari Nandigram carries political significance for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Adhikari defeated Banerjee in the constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections, turning the seat into a symbol of their political rivalry. He won Nandigram again in the 2026 Assembly elections but resigned from the seat after deciding to retain Bhabanipur, where he defeated Banerjee. The bypoll will test the BJP's ability to retain support in a constituency closely associated with its chief minister's political rise. It also comes after the BJP ended the TMC's 15-year rule in West Bengal in the 2026 Assembly elections. The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, whose son Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Adhikari, was shot dead on May 6, two days after the BJP won the Assembly elections. Congress candidate Milan Pradhan is also in the fray, along with candidates from rival TMC factions and the CPI. The opposition contest has been complicated by a divided field. The TMC faction led by Banerjee withdrew its candidate and backed Congress's Pradhan, while a rival TMC faction is contesting separately. The result will therefore be watched for what it reveals about the BJP's hold over Nandigram and the opposition's ability to challenge the ruling party amid a fragmented contest. The other West Bengal seat, Rejinagar, is also significant, with a multi-cornered contest involving the BJP, Congress, TMC, the Aam Janata Unnayan Party and the CPI(M). Both constituencies recorded voter turnout of around 80%, though opposition parties alleged voter intimidation and irregularities and demanded repolling. Why Vijay faces a test In Tamil Nadu, the bypolls in Madurantakam and Dharapuram will offer an early indication of the electoral strength of Vijay's TVK government, which came to power earlier this year. The two seats fell vacant after AIADMK legislators K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned and joined the TVK. Both are now contesting the bypolls as TVK candidates, while the AIADMK and the DMK have also fielded nominees. The results will test whether the TVK can retain the support it gained in the Assembly elections and consolidate its position against the state's established political parties. Vijay campaigned extensively in the two constituencies, underlining the importance the party has attached to the contests. The outcome will also be watched by the AIADMK, which is seeking to recover the seats lost to the TVK following the legislators' crossover. Both constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. Madurantakam recorded 86.26% turnout, while Dharapuram registered 80.30% polling, according to Election Commission figures reported after voting concluded. The results will not, on their own, establish a wider statewide trend. However, they will offer an early measure of the TVK's ability to translate its Assembly-election success into support in individual constituencies. Other contests to watch In Puducherry, the Thattanchavady bypoll will be an early test for Chief Minister N Rangasamy's AINRC-led NDA government. Rangasamy vacated the seat after retaining Mangalam in the Assembly elections. In Assam, the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is a contest between the BJP, Congress and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. The BJP is seeking to expand its support in the constituency, while Congress is looking to retain its voter base. Ajmal, meanwhile, is seeking to revive the AIUDF's electoral fortunes after the party's reduced tally in the Assembly elections. While the six bypolls will determine the winners in the respective constituencies, the results from Nandigram and the two Tamil Nadu seats are likely to attract particular attention as early indicators of the political challenges facing Adhikari and Vijay.