This live blog has been closed
Bypolls were held on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) in five Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry, and one Lok Sabha seat in Assam. The Madurantakam Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu recorded the highest polling percentage of 86%. The other Assembly seat which went to the polls in Tamil Nadu was Dharapuram, which saw a turnout of just over 80%. Both seats in the State were reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. In Puducherry’s Thattanchavady Assembly segment, there was 80.8% voting.
In West Bengal, where bypolls were held in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats, there was a voter turnout of almost 80%, despite the fact that many were not able to vote as their inclusion in the electoral roll is under appeal in Appellate Tribunals. Opposition parties raised allegations of electoral malpractice, with the Congress seeking a repoll in both the constituencies. Voter polling trends till 5:30 p.m. showed Nandigram at 79.4% and Rejinagar at 78.4%. West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer received 97 official complaints through designated portals on the polling day.
Bye-election was also held for Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. About 76% of some 19.05 lakh electors voted in the polls. The bypoll was necessitated after Pradyut Bordoloi, who won the constituency for the second successive term in 2024, quit the Congress to contest and win the Dispur Assembly seat on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. The counting of votes is scheduled for Friday (October 9, 2026).
