The byelections to West Bengal’s Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly seats on Tuesday (October 6, 2026) saw nearly 80% polling by evening. However, Opposition parties have raised allegations of electoral malpractice, and the Congress has demanded repolling in both constituencies. In Rejinagar, Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) leader Humayun Kabir was arrested from his party office.

As of 5.30 p.m., the voting percentage in Nandigram was 79.39%, and in Rejinagar, it was 78.42%. West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) received 97 official complaints on polling day.

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Nearly 19,000 people from these constituencies, whose names were removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State and then came under the adjudication process, were unable to vote in the Assembly election earlier this year as well as during Tuesday’s (October 6, 2026) byelection as their cases remain under adjudication.

Malpractice claims

Leaders from the Congress, the Mamata Trinamool Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have raised allegations of voter intimidation, fake voting, booth capturing, and other issues in both constituencies. Nandigram is in Purba Medinipur district and Rejinagar is in Murshidabad. 

Congress State president Subhankar Sarkar, who submitted a representation to the West Bengal CEO office, asked for the bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar to be cancelled and called for repolling.

JUST IN | Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir detained, taken away from their party office in Rejinagar in Murshidabad in police vehicle. He had a verbal altercation with the police before being detained.

During the verbal altercation police had told him he cannot be there because it is polling day. "Do not work as their middleman. Do not do vote chori. You are doing work for the thieves. I will not go home," said Kabir. He has been taken to the Rejinagar Police Station.

– @Shrabanawrites reports

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West Bengal Congress leaders alleged that voters faced issues at multiple polling booths in Nandigram, including voter intimidation, booth capturing, proxy voting, and electronic voting machine (EVM) malfunctioning issues. 

Congress’s Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan, who was arrested last month in connection with cases dating back to 2007 and then released just days ahead of the byelection, raised allegations of booth capturing. “They are not letting people vote because then it will make history,” Mr. Pradhan said. 

The Congress has also written multiple emails to the police and general observer, seeking immediate action. The party also alleged that its block president, Asraful Tulla, who was sitting at a booth camp outside his booth in Nandigram Anchal, was detained at the Nandigram police station.

The Mamata TMC said in a social media post: “The electoral process in Bengal is being COMPLETELY HIJACKED by the @BJP4Bengal Administration!”

Humayun Kabir arrested 

The AJUP leader and Naoda MLA, Mr. Kabir, got into a physical and verbal altercation with the police, who then used force to remove him from his party office in Rejinagar. “He broke the law, so he was arrested. I will not make any further comments,” Sub-Divisional Police Office Anandajit Hore said after Mr. Kabir’s arrest. 

During the verbal altercation, the police told him that he could not be there because it was polling day. “Do not work as their middleman. Do not do vote chori. You are working for thieves. I will not go home,” said Mr. Kabir. He was then taken to the Rejinagar police station. 

Mr. Kabir had won the Rejinagar and Naoda seats on May 4, 2026, and chose to retain Naoda. His party fielded his son, Golam Nabi Azad, as its nominee for the byelection. Since campaigning began, Mr. Kabir has alleged intimidation against the AJUP candidate. 

BJP confident

Nandigram BJP candidate Hasirani Rath, the mother of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s former personal assistant who was killed earlier this year, offered prayers on polling day. “Our honourable Chief Minister, who has been Chief Minister for five months, has already completed most of the development work in Nandigram. This time, after I am elected, we will think about what more we can do for development,” Ms. Rath said. 

Mr. Adhikari expressed confidence that the BJP would win both seats. On allegations of electoral malpractice, the Chief Minister asked if the Opposition had any evidence for their claims. He also cast his vote in Nandigram, a seat he had won in the election earlier this year along with Bhabanipur. He retained Bhabanipur and vacated Nandigram, necessitating the byelection.