Voting is underway in assembly bypolls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Assam, with West Bengal's Nandigram contest drawing the most attention.The Nandigram vacancy arose after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari retained Bhabanipur in the 2026 Assembly election and vacated the seat he had won from Mamata Banerjee in 2021 by 1,956 votes. The BJP has fielded Hasi Rani Rath, the mother of Adhikari's slain aide.The Trinamool Congress withdrew its candidate after a meeting with Adhikari, extending support to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who is out on interim bail granted by the Calcutta High Court on September 29 in connection with a 2007 case. The Supreme Court was to consider the state's challenge to that relief on October 5.The Election Commission's decision to freeze the original TMC name and symbol has allotted new identities to rival factions, adding another twist. Central forces are deployed inside polling booths while state police monitor surrounding areas.