Vote counting across key parliamentary and assembly by-elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry began early on Friday, October 9, 2026, revealing striking trends across regional power corridors. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has established dominant leads across West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar assembly constituencies, as well as the high-profile Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam. Down south in Tamil Nadu, the newly emergent political force Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has surged ahead of traditional Dravidian heavyweights in both the Madurantakam and Dharapuram constituencies. The trends highlight shifting ground dynamics in seats that recently went to polls amid intense multi-cornered campaigning.

BJP Surges Toward Historic Margins in Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar

In West Bengal, the ruling party cemented its grip with an unassailable lead in the politically heavyweight constituency of Nandigram. BJP nominee Hasi Rani Rath surged ahead of her nearest rival, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, by over 1,05,000 votes after 13 rounds of electronic vote tallying. The seat had seen intense emotional campaigning, with Rath contesting following the demise of her son, Chandranath Rath. Concurrently, in the minority-dominated Rejinagar assembly segment of Murshidabad, the BJP registered an unexpected breakthrough. BJP candidate Shakharav Sarkar opened up a decisive cushion of over 37,000 votes against Golam Nabi Azad of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), reflecting a sharp consolidation of votes and fractures within the regional opposition vote bank.

Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha Seat: Devasish Sharma Holds Huge Lead

In Assam, counting for the Nagaon parliamentary seat demonstrated a decisive mandate for the BJP. Former senior bureaucrat and BJP candidate Devasish Sharma extended his lead past the 90,000-vote threshold over All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) stalwart Badruddin Ajmal. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora lagged far behind in third place, struggling to match the momentum of the frontrunners. The Nagaon by-election, necessitated by shifting legislative arrangements, served as a crucial test of strength between the ruling alliance, minority-centric formations, and traditional opposition blocks, with Sharma maintaining an unbroken advantage across rural and semi-urban counting centers.

Tamil Nadu: Vijay’s TVK Outpaces DMK and AIADMK in Two Key Seats

In Tamil Nadu, the by-elections to the Scheduled Caste-reserved constituencies of Madurantakam and Dharapuram delivered significant momentum for the TVK.

• Madurantakam: TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel pulled ahead with an authoritative margin exceeding 11,000 votes by the ninth round, relegating DMK’s I. Paranthamen and AIADMK’s S. Kanitha Sampath to second and third positions.

• Dharapuram: After a neck-and-neck opening sequence with the AIADMK, TVK’s P. Sathyabama crossed the 50,000-vote mark by the 17th round of counting, establishing a clear lead of over 8,800 votes against her nearest DMK challenger, S. Suganya.

The twin leads in Tamil Nadu signal that the TVK is carving out a potent third-pole alternative in the state’s fiercely contested political landscape, directly challenging established Dravidian party bases.

AINRC Triumphs in Puducherry’s Thattanchavady

Meanwhile, in the Union Territory of Puducherry, the ruling All India N.R. Congress (AINRC)—backed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)—sealed a dominant victory in the Thattanchavady assembly by-election. AINRC nominee Ashok Anand established an unassailable margin over Congress’s E. Vinayagam, successfully defending the bastion vacated by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. With counting entering its concluding rounds across all centers, final declarations from the Election Commission of India will seal the official verdicts across the six constituencies.