ECI announces byelection schedule for six seats in four states; polling October 6, 2026
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the schedule for byelections to five Assembly constituencies and one parliamentary constituency. The vacancies are spread across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam. Polling will be held on October 6, 2026, and counting of votes is scheduled for October 9, 2026.
These byelections have been necessitated by resignations of sitting legislators and a Member of Parliament. Such vacancies arise when elected representatives relinquish their seats, often after switching parties or contesting from more than one constituency.
In Tamil Nadu, the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies will go to polls. Both seats fell vacant after AIADMK MLAs Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama resigned from their respective positions. Their resignations were accepted by the Assembly Secretariat, triggering the need for fresh elections.
In Puducherry, the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency is set for a byelection. Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy, who had contested and won from two constituencies, decided to retain the Mangalam seat and vacate Thattanchavady as per electoral rules.
West Bengal will see byelections in the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies. Suvendu Adhikari and Humayun Kabir, who had each won from two seats, resigned from one to comply with legal provisions. Adhikari gave up Nandigram, while Kabir vacated Rejinagar, creating the vacancies.
In Assam, the only parliamentary byelection will be held for the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. The seat became vacant after Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha following his departure from the Indian National Congress. He subsequently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The ECI has scheduled polling to be conducted with designated security arrangements and poll personnel. Detailed notifications for each constituency, including election officers and the acceptance of nominations, will be issued separately. Political parties have been urged to strictly follow the Model Code of Conduct once the schedule comes into force.
Election authorities expect that the byelections will be conducted smoothly. Voters in all six constituencies are encouraged to exercise their franchise. The results will determine the representation of these areas in the respective state assemblies and the Lok Sabha.
The announcement underscores the ECI’s continued efforts to ensure timely conduct of bypolls in accordance with established democratic procedures. Further updates regarding the election timelines and candidate lists will be announced as the process progresses.
