Polling for a series of by-elections began at 7 a.m. on Tuesday across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam, with tight security and extensive observer presence. In West Bengal, the Nandigram and Rejinagar constituencies were the focus, while Tamil Nadu’s Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) seats were contested, and Puducherry’s Thattanchavady and Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat were also in the mix.
West Bengal saw a flurry of incidents. In Nandigram, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan complained that polling agents were barred from booths and that police had not acted on intimidation complaints, citing a lathicharge at Chakraberia. A Congress block president, Asraful Tulla, was detained by police while outside his booth. Meanwhile, AJUP chief Humayun Kabir was arrested after a verbal altercation with police, and the party’s chief had earlier warned that the BJP had no chance in Rejinagar. The Election Commission replaced the Nandigram police station officer‑in‑charge the day before the poll, following opposition claims of bias.
Tamil Nadu’s polling faced technical and procedural challenges. Two EVMs in Madurantakam required replacement, and a polling halt of about half an hour at Dharapuram’s Kolinjivadi booth followed a senior citizen’s complaint that staff had prompted her to vote for the ruling TVK symbol. The Chengalpattu Collector reported that polling was peaceful, with CAPF units at vulnerable stations and web‑streaming of sensitive booths. Despite these disruptions, the turnout at 11 a.m. was 35.55% in Madurantakam and 37.28% in Dharapuram.
In Assam, the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll showed a 37.82% turnout by 11 a.m., up from 17.68% at 9 a.m., with no untoward incidents reported. Puducherry’s Thattanchavady assembly seat recorded a 39.16% turnout at 11 a.m., while West Bengal’s Rejinagar and Nandigram reported 38.71% and 43.95% respectively. Nearly 19,000 West Bengal voters risk missing the polls due to pending tribunal appeals, underscoring the administrative delays that can affect voter participation. Overall, the day’s polling was marked by a mix of orderly conduct and isolated irregularities across the states.
