The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for a fresh round of bypolls covering five Assembly constituencies across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, along with the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam.
Voting for all six constituencies will take place on October 6, while the counting of votes and declaration of results will be held on October 9.
The announcement sets the stage for another round of electoral contests in states where the vacancies have emerged for different political and administrative reasons, including resignations and candidates retaining alternative constituencies.
Which seats will go to polls?
West Bengal will witness bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar. Tamil Nadu will vote in Madurantakam and Dharapuram, while Thattanchavady in Puducherry will also see a fresh election.
In Assam, the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency will go to the polls alongside the five Assembly seats.
The election process will formally begin with the issuance of the gazette notification on September 9. Candidates will be able to file their nominations until September 16.
The Election Commission has fixed September 17 for scrutiny of nomination papers, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 19.
EVMs and VVPATs to be used
The ECI said electronic voting machines and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) systems will be deployed at every polling station during the bypolls.
According to the Commission, sufficient EVMs and VVPAT units have been arranged and preparations are underway to ensure the polling process is conducted smoothly.
Why are the West Bengal seats vacant?
The Nandigram bypoll has been necessitated after Suvendu Adhikari, who defeated TMC chief Mamata Banerjee from Bhabanipur, chose to retain the Bhabanipur constituency.
Rejinagar also fell vacant after Humayun Kabir, founder of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), won both Rejinagar and Nawda. Kabir subsequently decided to retain Nawda, leaving Rejinagar open for a by-election.
The two contests could therefore become important political battles in West Bengal, with parties now preparing to select candidates and launch their campaigns.
Tamil Nadu sees two Assembly bypolls
In Tamil Nadu, bypolls have been necessitated in Madurantakam and Dharapuram following the resignations of the sitting MLAs.
Maragatham Kumaravel, who had won Madurantakam on an AIADMK ticket, resigned from the Assembly and left the party before joining Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).
Dharapuram was represented by AIADMK’s P Sathyabama, who also resigned and subsequently joined the TVK.
The two vacancies now set up fresh electoral contests and could provide another test of the political equations surrounding the TVK.
Puducherry CM’s decision triggers Thattanchavady bypoll
In Puducherry, Chief Minister N Rangasamy had contested from both Thattanchavady and Mangalam.
After winning both constituencies, Rangasamy decided to retain Mangalam and vacate Thattanchavady. The decision has resulted in the Assembly seat being put up for a by-election.
Nagaon Lok Sabha seat also up for grabs
The only Parliamentary bypoll in this round will be held in Assam’s Nagaon constituency.
The seat was previously represented by Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi. Bordoloi later resigned from the Lok Sabha and left the Congress before joining the BJP.
He subsequently contested the Assam Assembly election from Dispur and won the seat, leaving Nagaon vacant.
The October 6 election will therefore determine who takes over the Parliamentary constituency.
Bypolls set for October 6
With nominations opening shortly, political parties now have a limited window to finalise candidates and begin campaigning.
The results on October 9 will provide an early indication of the electoral mood across the six constituencies and could carry significance for the political parties contesting in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam.
