Counting of votes for by-elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry, and Assam has started. These high-stakes battles test the political strength of leaders like Chief Minister Vijay and the BJP’s influence. Results are expected soon, as parties wait to see if they can reclaim their turf or gain new ground.
Counting of votes for by-elections to five Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, along with a Lok Sabha constituency in Assam, has started with results expected soon.
From a test of Chief Minister Vijay's star power to a changed political landscape in West Bengal with a resurgent BJP and a divided Trinamool, to the high-stakes Nagaon Lok Sabha contest in Assam, the bypoll results will have serious regional implications.
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The Tamil Nadu Test
In Tamil Nadu, counting will be held for the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, with the outcome set to provide an early electoral test for Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government.
The contests carry considerable political significance for the TVK, which came to power after winning 108 seats in the Assembly election, short of the 118 required for a majority. As votes are counted in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, the spotlight is on whether Vijay's popularity can translate into another electoral victory, five months after he came to power.
Both seats were won by the AIADMK in April, before its MLAs switched to the TVK. Now, Vijay's prestige is on the line, the AIADMK is fighting to reclaim its turf, and Stalin's DMK is looking for a comeback.
The Bengal Banger
In West Bengal, counting is taking place for the Nandigram Assembly constituency in East Midnapore district and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district. Voting in both constituencies was conducted under unprecedented security arrangements.
The results are being keenly watched for the BJP's performance after replacing the 15-year-old Trinamool Congress regime as the ruling party following the 2026 Assembly elections, as well as the shape of the opposition space amid a split in the TMC and the presence of multiple political formations.
The Nandigram contest has drawn particular attention after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, the candidate of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, withdrew her nomination at the last moment.
The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, while Congress nominee Milan Pradhan is backed by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction after its candidate withdrew. A rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is also in the fray.
Dey is the mother of late Chandranath Rath, personal assistant to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was murdered in Madhyamgram on May 6.
As both seats have considerable Muslim votes, known to be the TMC's strength, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had framed the bypolls as a test for minorities, drawing criticism from the opposition.
The Assam Battle
In Assam, results will be out for the high-voltage contest for the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. The Nagaon bypoll was necessitated after Congress veteran Pradyut Bordoloi switched to the BJP and resigned the seat.
Here the triangular contest is between former Deputy Commissioner Debashish Sharma representing the BJP, former MLA Sibamoni Bora contesting for the Congress, and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, who is seeking to make a return to the Lok Sabha after losing the 2024 election from Dhubri to Congress' Rakibul Hussain.
Meanwhile, counting will also be held for the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency in Puducherry. The seat fell vacant after Chief Minister N Rangasamy relinquished it to retain Mangalam.