The stage is set for byelections in two Assembly constituencies of West Bengal, Nandigram and Rejinagar; two seats in Tamil Nadu; one in Puducherry as well as the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam on October 6, after campaigning ended on Jattvibeday. The results of the bypolls will be announced on October 9.High-voltage multi-cornered contests are expected in both Nandigram and Rejinagar, with the final line-up shaped by withdrawals, candidate arrests, electoral symbol complications, rival Trinamool Congress factions contesting and a dramatic last-minute change of heart by the Mamata Banerjee camp’s Rejinagar nominee.Nandigram is likely to witness a four-cornered contest after the Mamata-led TMC faction extended support to the Congress, with the BJP, Left and the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel Trinamool camp pitching their own candidates.The Nandigram bypoll had acquired even more significance after Congress nominee Milan Pradhan was initially arrested and jailed on the basis of four 19-year-old pending arrest warrants connecting him to serious offences allegedly committed during the 2007 land agitation in the region.The arrest took place shortly after Mamata extended her faction’s support to the Congress in Nandigram, which was prompted by her own nominee, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrawing from the race.Mamata had described the Congress as a “natural alliance” partner and maintained that the “decision to support the Congress was taken before; only the party did not know about it”.The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, the former aide of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari who was gunned down earlier this year. Her candidature gives the BJP campaign an emotional dimension in a constituency that remains closely identified with Adhikari’s political rise.Adhikari had defeated Mamata in Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly polls by a margin of 1,956 votes before defeating the TMC supremo at Bhabanipur five years later.Ritabrata Banerjee-led TMC faction – which has been temporarily allotted the name Democratic Trinamool Congress by the Election Commission till it disposes of the two factions’ claims to the party’s name, insignia and other assets — has fielded Mohammad Eteshamul Haque, who will be contesting on the ‘envelope’ symbol.The situation in Rejinagar temporarily became curious when Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the candidate for the Mamata-led TMC faction, initially announced withdrawal from the polls, citing pressure on party workers and difficulties associated with contesting under the faction’s new electoral symbol.He, however, reversed the decision within hours after speaking to the TMC supremo and said he would remain in the contest at her direction. Chowdhury is now contesting the bypolls under the Election Commission-anointed Mamata All-India Trinamool Congress and ‘football player’ symbol.Polling for the two constituencies will be held on October 6, while counting of votes is scheduled for October 9.The bypolls were necessitated after Adhikari vacated the Nandigram seat, which he had won along with Bhabanipur, while the Rejinagar seat fell vacant after Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir retained Nawda after winning both constituencies in the 2026 Assembly elections.In the bypoll for the Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, former MLA Sibamoni Bora of the Congress is pitted against the BJP’s Devasish Sharma, a former IAS officer who resigned as the District Commissioner of Nagaon in September to enter electoral politics, while AIUDF chief and MLA Badruddin Ajmal is also in the fray.The bypoll was necessitated after sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi quit the Congress to join the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections earlier this year. He is now a saffron party MLA.During the campaigning for the bypoll, from the controversial ‘biryani’ remark to government schemes and citizenship issues, the political parties raked up diverse issues in a bid to reach out to voters and push their respective narratives. The result, however, will not impact the balance of power in Parliament.In Tamil Nadu, TVK president and CM C Joseph Vijay embarked on a roadshow in the Dharapuram (SC) Assembly constituency on Jattvibeday in support of his party candidate P Sathyabama, and slammed the DMK for making remarks against women.The roadshow came two days after his similar event in Madurantakam (SC), where his stops included tea breaks, hand at driving a tractor and interactions with the public.The elections were necessitated after the resignation of then-sitting AIADMK MLAs K Maragatham Kumaravel and P Satyabama from Madurantakam and Dharapuram, respectively, after they joined the Vijay-led party. Vijay has renominated the two women from the respective segments, which are seen as the AIADMK’s strongholds.Meanwhile, the Tiruppur district police on Jattvibeday registered a case against Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin for allegedly involving a minor in the campaign for the Dharapuram bypoll.(With inputs from agencies)