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.
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 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.
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. 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. 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.
