Voters Denied Rights Amid Murshidabad Police Clashes
Voting commenced across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam for by-elections. The contest in West Bengal’s Rejinagar and Nandigram assembly constituencies drew immediate controversy following the detention of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir after a heated confrontation with law enforcement outside his party office in Murshidabad.
Humayun Kabir Detained Following Voting Dispute
AJUP chief and MLA Humayun Kabir was briefly detained by Rejinagar Police and taken away from his party office on Tuesday after casting his vote in the Rejinagar Assembly constituency by-election, The Times of India reported. detailed that the detention followed a heated argument where Kabir accused police personnel of partisanship, or “dalali,” after criticizing heavy security deployments near his residence and polling booths since morning. The altercation escalated into a physical scuffle before police pulled Kabir by his shirt and placed him into a vehicle, as noted by ThePrint.
Opposition Allegations and Incidents of Rigging
Opposition parties lodged complaints of vote-rigging, booth capture, and voter intimidation across both West Bengal constituencies. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury wrote a letter to the state chief electoral officer alleging that the police administration cast votes in the dead of night and drove legitimate agents away, The Indian Express reported.
Officials Deploy Multi-Layered Security for Nandigram and Rejinagar Polls
State election officials deployed multi-layered security arrangements across Nandigram and Rejinagar, with webcasting enabled at all 315 polling stations in Rejinagar and 323 stations in Nandigram, The Times of India reported. Rejinagar features 2.57 lakh electors, while Nandigram counts 2.67 lakh voters. The Rejinagar by-election was triggered after Kabir resigned from the seat, having won both Rejinagar and Nowda during the assembly elections earlier this year, leaving his son Golam Nabi Azad to contest under the AJUP banner against opponents including BJP nominee Sakharav Sarkar, TMC candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, rival TMC candidate Safiuzzaman Sheikh, Congress nominee Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, and CPI(M) candidate Syed Asad Ali, as outlined by The Times of India and ThePrint.
Vote Counting Scheduled for October 9
Votes cast in the by-elections for the five Assembly seats across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, alongside the Lok Sabha seat in Assam, will be counted on October 9, according to The Times of India. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari defended the state’s security posture and dismissed opposition claims, stating that polling in Nandigram remained peaceful and maintaining that law applies equally to all individuals, including political leaders, as reported by The Indian Express.
Why the Rejinagar Seat Fell Vacant and Security Measures
Why was the Rejinagar assembly seat vacant before this by-election?
The Rejinagar seat in Murshidabad district fell vacant after AJUP chief Humayun Kabir won both the Rejinagar and Nowda assembly seats in the 2026 elections and chose to retain Nowda, as reported by The Times of India.
What specific security measures were implemented at polling booths?
Election officials implemented multi-layered security arrangements across all polling stations, pairing heavy police deployments with live webcasting available at every polling booth in both Rejinagar and Nandigram, according to The Times of India.
When will the election results be officially announced?
The counting of votes for all current by-elections across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam is scheduled to take place on October 9, as confirmed by The Times of India.