Nandigram Rejinagar bypolls 2026
West Bengal is set for another round of electoral action ahead of Durga Puja, with the Election Commission announcing bypolls for the Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies.
Polling in both seats will be held on October 6, 2026, while counting of votes and declaration of results are scheduled for October 9. The announcement sets the stage for two closely watched political contests in the state just months after the 2026 Assembly elections.
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, candidates can file their nominations until September 16. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on September 17, while September 19 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
With the schedule now out, political parties are expected to step up preparations and finalise their candidates for the two constituencies. The contests are likely to attract considerable attention, particularly because of Nandigram’s significance in Bengal politics.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had contested and won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly election. He retained Bhabanipur and subsequently vacated Nandigram, creating a vacancy that now needs to be filled through a by-election.
The Rejinagar seat became vacant after Humayun Kabir, who had won both Rejinagar and Naoda in the 2026 election, resigned from Rejinagar.
Kabir, a former Trinamool Congress leader who later founded the Aam Janata Unnayan Party, had secured the Rejinagar seat in the Assembly election. His resignation has necessitated the bypoll.
Nandigram has been one of the most politically significant constituencies in West Bengal in recent years. In the 2021 Assembly election, Suvendu Adhikari defeated then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the seat. He won Nandigram again in the 2026 Assembly election before giving up the seat.
In the 2026 election, Adhikari secured more than 50 per cent of the vote in Nandigram, defeating Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar. The bypoll will therefore test whether the political equation remains unchanged after his departure or whether another party can make gains.
Rejinagar will also be closely watched. Humayun Kabir won the seat in 2026 on an Aam Janata Unnayan Party ticket with more than 51 per cent of the vote. His resignation has opened another contest in Murshidabad, with political parties now preparing for a fresh battle.
The two bypolls will therefore carry significance beyond simply electing new MLAs. Coming just months after the Assembly election and ahead of Durga Puja, the results could offer an early indication of the changing political dynamics in these two constituencies.
The electoral contest will unfold on October 6, with the outcome set to be known on October 9.
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