The bypoll results and counting trends across Puducherry, Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have delivered a mix of victories and leads for regional and national parties. The ruling AINRC has won Thattanchavady in Puducherry, while BJP candidates are ahead in Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency and West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats. In Tamil Nadu’s Dharapuram, TVK continues to lead after the tenth round of counting.
Puducherry: AINRC wins Thattanchavady by 8,482 votes
The ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC) has won the Thattanchavady bypoll, marking its first electoral test since assuming office months ago. Its candidate, Ashok Anand, defeated Congress nominee E Vinayagam by more than 8,000 votes.
Trends had indicated an advantage for the party led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy from the beginning of counting at 8 a.m., while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) slipped to third place.
Ashok Anand secured 13,358 votes and won by a margin of 8,482 votes after four rounds of counting. Vinayagam received 4,876 votes, while the DMK’s K Sethu, also known as Sethuselvam, polled 2,664 votes, according to an Election Commission update.
Assam: BJP’s Devashish Sharma leads Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll
BJP candidate Devashish Sharma has established a lead of 75,248 votes over his nearest rival, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal, as counting continues in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam, according to the Election Commission.
Sharma, a former IAS officer, has secured 1,81,017 votes, compared with Ajmal’s 1,05,769. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora is a distant third with 29,826 votes, according to figures published on the Election Commission’s website.
Counting began at 8 a.m. on Friday under tight security. Officials said the process started with postal ballots, followed by votes recorded in electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The counting is taking place at two centres in Nagaon — Dawson Higher Secondary School and Nagaon Government Boys’ School — with 14 tables at each location.
The parliamentary constituency comprises eight Assembly segments spread across Nagaon and Morigaon districts. Security has been tightened at both counting centres, and candidates and political parties have been instructed to obtain permission from the district administration before organising any procession.
Sharma, Bora and Ajmal are the main contenders in a field of 15 candidates. Voter turnout in the October 6 bypoll stood at 76.19%.
The by-election became necessary after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and successfully contested the Assembly election from Dispur on a BJP ticket earlier this year. The outcome will not alter the balance of power in Parliament.
Nagaon has 19.05 lakh eligible voters, including 9.43 lakh women and 50 third-gender electors. They were eligible to vote at 2,312 polling stations.
West Bengal: BJP widens leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar
BJP candidates have increased their leads in Nandigram and Rejinagar as counting continues in the West Bengal Assembly bypolls, according to early Election Commission trends.
In Muslim-majority Rejinagar, located in Murshidabad district, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar is ahead of his nearest rival, Golam Nabi Azad of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), by 16,550 votes after the second round of counting.
Sarkar has received 20,415 votes, while Azad, the son of AJUP chief Humayun Kabir, has secured 3,865. Congress candidate Abdullahil Kafi is in third place with 1,291 votes, according to the Election Commission’s website.
Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the candidate of the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, has polled 753 votes in Rejinagar. Safiuzzaman Saikh, representing the rival Democratic Trinamool Congress faction led by Arup Roy, has received 295 votes.
In Nandigram, in Purba Medinipur district, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath is leading by 27,450 votes after the third round. Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, the slain personal assistant of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Rath has secured 34,820 votes, while Congress candidate Milan Pradhan is in second place with 7,370. Santi Gopal Giri of the CPI has received 1,289 votes.
Fifteen rounds of counting are scheduled in each of the two constituencies. Counting began at 8 a.m. under tight security.
The bypolls, held on Tuesday, are being viewed as an early electoral test of West Bengal’s political landscape following the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.
Nandigram became vacant after Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur, retained the latter constituency. Rejinagar fell vacant after AJUP founder Humayun Kabir retained Nowda, which he had also won.
Tamil Nadu: TVK leads in Dharapuram after 10 rounds
In Tamil Nadu’s Dharapuram constituency, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Sathyabama continues to lead after the tenth round of counting, with 27,649 votes.
AIADMK candidate Bhanumathi is in second place with 23,521 votes, followed by DMK nominee Suganya with 22,503. Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate Karthika has received 2,156 votes, while CPI candidate Lakshmanan has secured 509.
TVK is ahead of the AIADMK by 4,128 votes.
(With inputs from PTI)
