Early leads emerge as vote counting begins for assembly and Lok Sabha bypolls

UPDATE - follow-up to Bypoll results LIVE: Counting of votes begins for bypolls to five Assembly seats, one Lok Sabha seat: Vote counting is underway for bypolls held across five assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry, alongside one Lok Sabha seat in Assam.

Leading Margins

In Assam's Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, BJP candidate Devasish Sharma holds a lead over AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. Sharma secured 92,345 votes while Ajmal polled 48,927 votes, and Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora bagged 12,982 votes. In Puducherry's Thattanchavady segment, AINRC candidate Ashok Anand, backed by the BJP and AIADMK, leads over Congress candidate E. Vinayagam. In West Bengal, BJP candidates are ahead in both Nandigram and Rejinagar, with Hasirani Rath and Shankharav Sarkar leading their respective races. In Tamil Nadu's Dharapuram seat, TVK candidate P. Sathyabama leads, followed by AIADMK's K. Banumathi and DMK's S. Suganya.

Context

Bypolls are held to fill legislative seats that fall vacant due to the resignation or death of a sitting member. These closely watched local contests often reflect shifts in regional voter sentiment between major general elections.