BJP candidates are leading in Nandigram and Rejinagar in West Bengal and in Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll.
In Dharapuram, TVK leads AIADMK and DMK, marking an early electoral test for Vijay’s government.
AINRC candidate Ashok Anand has won the Thattanchavady bypoll in Puducherry.
Counting of votes for five Assembly by-elections and the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam is underway, with the BJP leading in West Bengal and Assam, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is locked in a close contest with the AIADMK.
The results are being watched as an early test of the BJP government in West Bengal and Vijay’s newly formed government in Tamil Nadu. In Puducherry, the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC) has won the Thattanchavady seat.
TVK Leads In Tamil Nadu; BJP Ahead In Bengal
In Tamil Nadu, TVK candidates are leading in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, with the results offering an early indication of the party’s support after it came to power. The bypolls were necessitated after former AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama resigned and joined TVK.
In Dharapuram, TVK’s P Sathyabama has secured 24,047 votes, ahead of AIADMK candidate K Banumathi, who has polled 21,935 votes. In Madurantakam, TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel is leading with 15,725 votes, ahead of the DMK candidate by 4,484 votes.
The results are also significant for the DMK, which is contesting without the support of former allies, including the Congress, the VCK and Left parties. The outcome could offer an indication of the party’s electoral strength outside its previous alliance.
In West Bengal, BJP candidates are leading in both Nandigram and Rejinagar in the party’s first electoral test since it ended the Trinamool Congress’s 15-year rule in the state in May.
In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharav Sarkar is ahead with 28,416 votes, widening his lead over his nearest rival from the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), led by Humayun Kabir. The BJP’s Hasirani Rath is also leading in Nandigram.
Nandigram recorded 80.89 per cent turnout, while Rejinagar registered 80.08 per cent. Opposition parties demanded fresh polling, alleging voter intimidation and irregularities at polling booths. The BJP rejected the allegations and maintained that voting had been peaceful. The results are being watched as an indicator of the BJP’s electoral support in the state, although they are not a direct referendum on Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s tenure
BJP Takes Strong Lead In Assam; AINRC Wins Puducherry Seat
In Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, BJP candidate Devashish Sharma has taken an unassailable lead of 83,304 votes over AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. Sharma has polled 2,24,490 votes against Ajmal’s 1,41,186, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora is trailing in third place.
The bypoll was necessitated after two-term Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections in April. Bordoloi is now the MLA from Dispur.
The Nagaon contest was closely watched because of its sizeable Muslim electorate and the BJP’s efforts to expand its support in the constituency. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said a BJP victory could not be ruled out despite the seat not being a traditional stronghold for the party.
In Puducherry, AINRC candidate Ashok Anand has won the Thattanchavady Assembly bypoll with 13,358 votes. He defeated Congress candidate E Vinayagam by 8,482 votes, while the DMK finished third.
The seat fell vacant after Chief Minister N Rangasamy resigned from Thattanchavady to retain Mangalam following the Assembly elections. The result gives the ruling AINRC-led NDA government a win in the constituency.
The bypoll results across the four regions are being closely watched for their implications for the BJP, Congress and regional parties as they navigate changing alliances and political equations.
