Six Bypolls, Four Regions: BJP Gains In Bengal And Assam, Vijay’s TVK Consolidates Tamil Nadu Position

The BJP swept both West Bengal Assembly bypolls and won Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, while Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s TVK captured two Assembly constituencies and Puducherry’s ruling AINRC retained Thattanchavady on Friday. The results intensified political rivalries, with BJP Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari claiming a breakthrough among minority voters and DMK chief M K Stalin questioning the defections that helped Vijay’s party win.

In West Bengal, BJP candidate Hasirani Rath defeated Congress nominee Milan Pradhan by a massive 1,22,753 votes in Nandigram. The seat was vacated by Adhikari, who chose to retain Bhabanipur after winning both constituencies in the Assembly elections. Rath is the mother of Chandranath Rath, Adhikari’s aide who was murdered in May. Nandigram recorded 80.89 per cent turnout.

The BJP’s Rejinagar victory was politically significant for a different reason. Shankharavh Sarkar defeated Golam Nabi Azad, son of AJUP chief Humayun Kabir, by 75,691 votes. Muslims account for around 65 per cent of voters in the constituency, which Kabir had won by nearly 59,000 votes in April.

Adhikari attributed the result to his outreach to minority voters, arguing that people were responding to the government’s development agenda rather than religious appeals. He promised projects including a college, a 200-bed hospital and an Amul factory in Rejinagar. However, the Election Commission does not publish voting figures by religion, so the extent of Muslim support for the BJP cannot be established from the result alone. Opposition parties also alleged intimidation and irregularities during polling, while the Election Commission described voting as largely peaceful.

In Tamil Nadu, TVK’s K Maragatham Kumaravel won Madurantakam by 19,241 votes, while P Sathyabama defeated the DMK’s S Suganya by 9,471 votes in Dharapuram. Both had previously won the seats on AIADMK tickets before joining TVK, making the results a setback for the AIADMK as well as a test of Vijay’s new government.

Stalin described the outcome as a temporary victory for “betrayal”, targeting the defections, while AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami criticised TVK over its political conduct. Vijay, meanwhile, presented the victories as a rejection of money-driven politics and a response to his critics.

The wins raised TVK’s Assembly strength to 109 in the 234-member House, still below the majority mark of 118. Madurantakam recorded 86.26 per cent turnout and Dharapuram 80.30 per cent, both lower than in April.

In Puducherry, AINRC’s Ashok Anand defeated Congress candidate E Vinayagam by 8,482 votes in Thattanchavady, which recorded 80.81 per cent turnout. The result reinforced Chief Minister N Rangasamy’s position after he vacated the seat to retain Mangalam.

In Assam, BJP candidate Devasish Sharma defeated AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal by 1,72,527 votes in Nagaon. Sharma polled 6,77,258 votes against Ajmal’s 5,04,731, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora received 1,20,123. Turnout stood at 76.19 per cent. The seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat on a BJP ticket.