West Bengal Bypolls: Nandigram, Rejinagar to Vote on October 6

The Election Commission has announced by-elections to Nandigram in Purba Medinipur and Rejinagar in Murshidabad, with polling scheduled for October 6, 2026, and counting of votes on October 9. The two seats fell vacant after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir gave up Nandigram and Rejinagar respectively after winning two constituencies each in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The election process will begin with the gazette notification on September 9. The last date for filing nominations is September 16, scrutiny will be held on September 17 and candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 19. The entire process will be completed by October 11. The Model Code of Conduct has come into force in the concerned districts. EVMs and VVPATs will be used at all polling stations, while the EPIC card will remain the principal identification document, with Aadhaar, PAN card, driving licence, passport and other documents specified by the EC also permitted. Electoral rolls will continue to be updated until the nomination deadline, subject to the Commission's stipulated cut-off.

Nandigram carries enormous political significance in West Bengal, having emerged as a major flashpoint during the 2007 anti-land-acquisition movement that contributed to the decline of the Left Front and the rise of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress.

Suvendu Adhikari, who was closely associated with the movement before becoming a senior TMC leader, later joined the BJP and defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election by 1,956 votes. The rivalry continued in 2026, when Adhikari won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur. He defeated Banerjee in Bhabanipur by 15,105 votes and chose to retain that seat, resigning from Nandigram and triggering the bypoll. In Nandigram, he had won by 9,665 votes in 2026.

The October contest will therefore test whether the BJP can retain an Adhikari stronghold without Adhikari himself on the ballot. Adhikari has expressed confidence in a bigger BJP victory, while the bypoll announcement has also revived speculation over whether Banerjee could seek a return to the Assembly through Nandigram. The TMC has not confirmed such a move.

Rejinagar presents a different political test. Humayun Kabir, a former TMC leader who founded AJUP after his expulsion from the party, won both Rejinagar and Naoda in the 2026 Assembly elections and subsequently retained Naoda, leaving Rejinagar vacant.

Kabir secured 123,536 votes, or 51.62%, in Rejinagar, defeating BJP's Bapan Ghosh by 58,876 votes. In Naoda, he won 86,463 votes, defeating BJP's Rana Mandal by 27,943 votes.

The bypoll will now test whether AJUP can retain Kabir's political base without Kabir contesting, while the TMC and BJP will seek to recover ground.

Thus, October 6 presents two distinct political tests: Nandigram will measure the BJP's ability to hold Adhikari's seat, while Rejinagar will determine whether Kabir's electoral success can translate into lasting support for AJUP. The October 9 results will offer an early indication of how West Bengal's political equations are evolving after the 2026 Assembly election.