Counting has begun for five critical by-elections across Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, with early trends signaling a dominant BJP performance in the North-East and East. In the high-stakes Nagaon Lok Sabha contest, BJP candidate Debashish Sharma is currently ahead of former MLA Sibamoni Bora (Congress) and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. The bypoll stems from Congress veteran Pradyut Bordoloi’s resignation after switching to the BJP.
In West Bengal, the BJP has taken an early lead in both Nandigram (East Midnapore) and Rajinagar (Murshidabad). The Nandigram race carries emotional weight; Trinamool Congress candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey, mother of CM Suvendu Adhikari’s slain personal assistant Chandranath Rath, withdrew her nomination at the last minute. This move threw the contest into disarray, with Congress nominee Milan Pradhan now backed by Dey’s TMC faction, while a rival TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee contests separately.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the early count favors Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in both Madurantakam and Dharapuram. These seats, previously won by AIADMK in April, are a direct test of Vijay’s star power just five months into his tenure. TVK came to power with 108 seats, lacking the 118 needed for a majority, making these bypolls crucial for their legislative stability. AIADMK is fighting to reclaim its turf, while DMK seeks a comeback under Stalin.
The first seat to declare a result was Thattanchavady in Puducherry, where the seat fell vacant after CM N. Rangasamy relinquished it to retain Mangalam. All India NR Congress candidate Ashok Anand defeated Congress rival E. Vinayagam by a margin exceeding 8,000 votes, retaining the constituency for his party.