October 6 showdown: Six bypolls put new political order to test

Six by-elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam will be held on Tuesday, putting the newly established political equations in the four regions to an early electoral test.

Polling will take place in five Assembly constituencies — Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal, Madurantakam and Dharapuram in Tamil Nadu, and Thattanchavady in Puducherry — besides the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in Assam. Counting of votes is scheduled for October 9.

In West Bengal, Nandigram and Rejinagar are among the most closely watched contests, coming after the BJP formed the government in the state following the 2026 Assembly elections. Nandigram carries particular political significance as it was won by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who retained Bhabanipur after winning both seats and resigned from Nandigram. The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, whose son Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Adhikari, was killed after the Assembly election victory.

The Opposition contest in Nandigram is fragmented. Congress candidate Milan Pradhan is backed by the Trinamool Congress faction led by Mamata Banerjee after the party withdrew its nominee, while another Trinamool faction has fielded its own candidate. The CPI is also in the fray.

Rejinagar presents another multi-cornered contest. The seat was vacated after Humayun Kabir, who had won both Rejinagar and Nowda, retained the latter. His Aam Janata Unnayan Party has fielded his son Golam Nabi Azad. The BJP, Congress, CPI-M and rival Trinamool factions are also contesting the seat.

Tamil Nadu offers a different political test, particularly for Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Former AIADMK legislators K. Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama are contesting from Madurantakam and Dharapuram respectively on TVK tickets after joining the ruling party. Both seats feature contests involving the TVK, DMK, AIADMK and CPI.

In Puducherry, Thattanchavady is the first electoral test for the four-month-old NDA government led by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy. The seat was vacated after Rangasamy, who had won from two constituencies, retained Mangalam.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam adds a parliamentary dimension to Tuesday’s exercise. The seat fell vacant after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat on a BJP ticket. The result will not alter the balance of power in Parliament but is being closely watched by the major political parties.

The six contests will be watched for broader indications about the BJP’s performance after taking power in West Bengal, the prospects of opposition parties in fragmented contests, TVK’s electoral standing in Tamil Nadu and the ability of ruling alliances to translate wider political gains into constituency-level victories.