FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 12 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW Indian-origin South African jurist Navi Pillay conferred Nobel Peace Prize Congress eyes UP comeback EDITORIAL Digital franchise Page 09 Page 6 Page 7 Bypolls boost: BJP wins both Bengal seats; Assam LS seat VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 9 October A t a time when the BJP is facing one of its most challenging political situations amid allegations of electoral irregularities, the party on Friday won three of the six by-polls held for Assembly and Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The BJP won both Assembly seats in West Bengal and the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam, while Puducherry ally AINRC retained Thattanchavady. In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam won both Assembly by-polls, strengthening his position in the state. For Congress, which is leading the anti-ECI agitation, it was a disappointing day, and likewise for the DMK and the AIDMK in Tamil Nadu. Bypoll Results Oct 9, 2026 Lok Sabha seat: 1 Assembly seats: 5 Nagaon, Assam (Lok Sabha Seat) Winner: BJP Runner-up: AIUDF Assam West Bengal Puducherry Assembly Seats Rejinagar, West Bengal BJP Winner: Runner-up: AJUP Nandigram, West Bengal BJP Winner: Runner-up: Cong Tamil Nadu Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu Madurantakam, Tamil Nadu Puducherry Winner: TVK Runner-up: DMK Winner: TVK Runner-up: DMK AINRC Winner: Runner-up: Cong Source: Election Commission of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi attributed the result to people’s “deep-rooted connect with the good governance agenda of BJP-NDA”. “The Lok Sabha result of Nagaon (Assam) and Assembly SILIGURI | Saturday, 10 October 2026 SPORTS WORLD SATURDAY INTERVIEW | Thattanchavady, KBK Pollgraphics results of Nandigram as well as Rejinagar (West Bengal) show yet again that the people have a deep-rooted connect with the good governance agenda of BJP-NDA. “This mandate will give us added strength as we work tirelessly for the welfare of the people and to fulfil their aspirations for a brighter and more prosperous future," he said. In West Bengal, where the BJP made history by forming its first government earlier this year, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari tackled his first electoral test with ease. The saffron party registered a substantial victory not just in Mr Adhikari’s stronghold Nandigram but also in Rejinagar ~ a Muslim- dominated constituency. The Rejinagar bypoll was necessitated after Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief Humayun Kabir (who won both Rejinagar and Naoda in the 2026 Assembly elections) retained Naoda. His son Golam Nabi Azad was defeated by BJP’s Sakharav Sarkar, adding one more Assembly seat to the saffron kitty. Meanwhile, BJP candidate Devashish Sharma defeated All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-poll with a substantial margin. The seat was vacated by Pradyut Bordoloi, who won the constituency on a Congress ticket in 2024. Later he joined the BJP and won from Dispur in the recent Assembly elections. In Puducherry, the ruling AINRC retained Thattanchavady with Ashok Anand defeating the Congress candidate. Rangasamy, who won both Thattanchavady and Mangalam in the Assembly elections, has retained Mangalam. Tamil Nadu saw the ruling TVK win both Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC) Assemblies ~ the constituencies won by AIADMK candidates K Maragatham and P. Sathyabama, respectively, in the recent Assembly elections. The two legislators were among the rebel AIADMK MLAs who later joined the ruling TVK. Kumkum sets sights on LA 2028 after historic Asian Games gold Page 11 Stage set for Jantar Mantar 2; SC cautions against excessive curbs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 9 October The stage is set for the Cockroach Janata Party's (CJP) return to Jantar Mantar here on Saturday, 10 October, with its ‘Chalo Dilli’ clarion call demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. The development follows the CJP’s July agitation over the NEET-UG paper leak, which forced Dharmendra Pradhan to resign as Union education minister. This time, the spotlight is on the Election Commission of India (ECI) with the CJP and Opposition political parties pressing for the CEC's resignation over alleged arbitrary en masse deletion of voters. The planned protest has prompted extensive security arrangements across the national capital. Authorities denied permission for the gathering, and officials stated that nearly 26,000 personnel from Central security forces have been deployed in Delhi. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced the closure of entry and exit at several metro stations from 9 p.m. on 9 and 10 October until further notice. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, cautioned authorities against excessive security restrictions ahead of Saturday’s protests. “Don’t use hammer to kill a fly,” the court said, and ruled out a complete shutdown of Delhi Metro services at 57 metro stations, asking the Centre instead to adopt proportionate regulatory measures. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana drew a distinction between regulating movement in the interest of law and order and imposing sweeping restrictions that inconvenience ordinary citizens. The court expressed particular concern over the closure of entry gates at 57 Metro stations and the impact on employees, students and senior citizens dependent on public transport. It specifically directed that there should be no complete prohibition on movement of Metro trains.