New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- The ruling parties in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry strengthened their positions in bypolls on Friday, with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) registering its first victories in assembly by-elections and the BJP recording decisive wins in West Bengal and Assam.
In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's TVK won the Madurantakam and Dharapuram assembly seats, defeating its rivals in contests held on October 6. The victories provide a boost to the party, which came to power in May 2026 after challenging the state's long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK.
In Madurantakam, TVK candidate K Maragatham Kumaravel secured 74,048 votes, defeating DMK's I Paranthamen by 20,040 votes. AIADMK's S Kanitha Sampath finished third with 47,450 votes. In Dharapuram, P Sathyabama defeated DMK candidate S Suganya by 9,471 votes, polling 66,841 votes.
Both winners had contested the April assembly elections on AIADMK tickets before resigning and joining the TVK. The results further strengthen Vijay's government, which depends on support from allies to maintain its position in the 234-member Assembly.
In West Bengal, the BJP won both Nandigram and Rejinagar, delivering its first electoral test since replacing the Trinamool Congress government after 15 years in power.
Hasirani Rath defeated Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in Nandigram by 1,22,753 votes, securing 1,64,427 votes. In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar defeated Golam Nabi Azad of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party by 75,816 votes.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari attributed the victories to growing support among minority voters. "The minority community has found a friend in BJP, and they voted for us," he said, claiming the party received around 60% of Muslim votes in Rejinagar and 80% in Nandigram. Opposition leaders alleged irregularities, claims rejected by the BJP.
In Assam, BJP candidate Devasish Sharma established a lead of 1,76,391 votes over AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll. Sharma polled 6,61,259 votes against Ajmal's 4,84,868, according to Election Commission trends available at 5.20 pm.
In Puducherry, the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC) retained Thattanchavady. Its candidate Ashok Anand defeated Congress nominee E Vinayagam by more than 8,400 votes, strengthening Chief Minister N Rangaswamy's position.
The results underline the ruling parties' electoral gains, while opposition forces face the challenge of rebuilding support and countering increasingly competitive political formations.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.