The Election Commission has announced the dates for by-elections to Assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, as well as one Lok Sabha seat in Assam. Voting for these seats will be held on October 6, and the results will be announced on October 9.
According to the Commission, the formal gazette notification for the elections will be issued on September 9, 2026. The last date for filing nominations is September 16.
Voting will take place on October 6. Counting will be conducted on October 9. The entire process will be completed before October 11, 2026.
These seats will go to bypolls
- 2 seats in Tamil Nadu—Madurantakam and Dharapuram—both Assembly seats fell vacant after the resignations of Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama. The final voter lists for both seats were released on February 23.
- Thattanchavady seat in Puducherry: This seat fell vacant after the resignation of N. Rangasamy. The electoral roll for the seat was published on February 14.
- Reginagar-Nandigram seats in West Bengal: The Reginagar seat fell vacant after the resignation of Humayun Kabir, while the Nandigram seat became vacant following the resignation of Suvendu Adhikari. The final list was released on February 28.
- Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat: Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of Pradyut Bordoloi. The final voter list for this seat was released on February 10.
Elections in Basirhat and Shillong Not Yet Announced
The Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in the concerned districts. The dates for the Shillong and Basirhat Lok Sabha seats have not been announced. The Shillong seat fell vacant after the death of Voice of the People Party (VPP) MP Ricky Andrew J. Synkangan in February this year. Meanwhile, the Basirhat seat has been vacant since the death of Trinamool Congress MP Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam in September 2024.
Election Commission Directives Ahead of the By-Elections
The Election Commission said that the voter list would continue to be updated until the last date for filing nominations, provided that applications are received at least 10 days before the nomination deadline.
An official of the commission said that EVMs and VVPATs would be used at all polling stations. The EPIC card will remain the primary identity document.
However, voters may also use their Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence, passport and other documents specified by the Election Commission.
