The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strengthened its position in West Bengal by winning Nandigram and Rejinagar in 2026 bypolls. In Assam, the party maintained a strong lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency. Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won Dharapuram and led in Madurantakam in Tamil Nadu. In Puducherry, the All India NR Congress (AINRC) retained its Thattanchavady seat.

The BJP secured decisive victories in Nandigram and Rejinagar. In Nandigram, party candidate Hasi Rani Rath defeated Congress candidate Milan Pradhan by 1,22,753 votes. Rath received 1,64,427 votes, while Pradhan secured 41,674.

Suvendu Adhikari represented Nandigram for three consecutive terms. He later left the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to join the BJP and eventually became West Bengal’s chief minister.

In Rejinagar, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar won the Muslim-majority constituency by more than 75,000 votes. Sarkar secured 1,29,914 votes, while Golam Nabi Azad of the Aam Janta Unnayan Party received 54,098 votes.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the minority community had found a "friend in the BJP." He claimed the party received roughly 60 per cent of the Muslim vote in Rejinagar and 80 per cent in Nandigram.

Speaking to news agency ANI, BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath said, "The record mandate is a result of Suvendu Adhikari being a humanitarian CM. Under the former CM Mamata Banerjee, our workers were oppressed and not allowed to vote, but that is not the case anymore...Nandigram was the most unpeaceful...democracy has been re-established here under CM Suvendu Adhikari. There has been no bloodshed in this election this time; bombs were not hurled, guns were not fired."

Vijay’s TVK made a strong electoral debut in the Tamil Nadu bypolls, winning Dharapuram and establishing a lead in Madurantakam. Both constituencies had previously been won by the AIADMK in the assembly elections.

In Dharapuram, TVK candidate Sathyabama P defeated DMK nominee S Suganya by 9,471 votes. Sathyabama received 66,841 votes against Suganya’s 56,370.

In Madurantakam, TVK candidate K. Maragatham Kumaravel led by more than 20,000 votes. She secured 72,354 votes, compared with 52,346 for DMK candidate I Paranthamen.

In Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidate Devasish Sharma maintained a lead of 1,69,306 votes over All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal as counting continued. Sharma received 6,84,271 votes, while Ajmal secured 5,14,965. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora remained in third place with 1,22,085 votes.

In Puducherry’s Thattanchavady constituency, ruling AINRC candidate Ashok Anand defeated Congress candidate E. Vinayagam by 8,482 votes to retain the seat.