NAGAON: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma intensified the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election on Thursday, addressing three large public meetings across the constituency and declaring that the ground reality pointed to a clear sweep for the NDA nominee.
In a series of posts and statements after the rallies, the Chief Minister said his reading of the situation was that even sections of voters who had earlier supported the Congress now acknowledged that only the BJP could provide effective governance. He expressed confidence that the party was heading for a comprehensive victory in the bypoll, framing the contest as a referendum on the state’s development trajectory under the ruling dispensation.
Sarma described the day’s interactions as warm and encouraging, noting that the campaign team had received the blessings of mothers, the affection of sisters, the support of young supporters and the goodwill of friends while seeking votes for NDA candidate Devasish Sharma. The meetings, he added, featured lively exchanges, music and discussions on the government’s continuing vision to develop every part of Assam, reinforcing what he called the people’s resounding support for the ruling side. Photographs released from the events showed large crowds, traditional welcomes and the Chief Minister interacting directly with residents in multiple locations.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, scheduled for October 6 with counting on October 9, was necessitated after sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from both the Lok Sabha and the party earlier this year. Bordoloi subsequently joined the BJP and successfully contested the Dispur Assembly seat in the April 2026 state elections, leaving the parliamentary constituency vacant. The bypoll has emerged as the first significant electoral test in Assam after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping victory in the Assembly polls, in which the alliance secured 102 of the 126 seats.
Fifteen candidates remain in the fray after the withdrawal deadline. The principal contest is widely viewed as a three-way battle among BJP’s Devasish Sharma, a former Indian Administrative Service officer who served as Deputy Commissioner of Nagaon and Morigaon before taking voluntary retirement and joining the party in early September; Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora, a former MLA; and All India United Democratic Front president Badruddin Ajmal, a three-time former Member of Parliament from Dhubri. Other candidates include independents and nominees from smaller parties, though the focus remains on the three main contenders.
Both the BJP and the Congress have fielded extensive star-campaigner lists of 40 leaders each. The ruling party’s campaign has been spearheaded by the Chief Minister himself, alongside Union ministers such as Sarbananda Sonowal and senior organisational figures. The Congress has mobilised national and state leaders, including Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and several other prominent voices. Campaigning has been intense and occasionally tense, with reports of clashes between party workers in parts of the constituency in recent weeks.
With only five days left for polling, Sarma’s Thursday blitz across multiple locations underscored the BJP’s determination to wrest the seat, which the Congress had held in the previous two general elections. The Chief Minister’s assertion of a “sweep” reflects the ruling party’s confidence that its development narrative, organisational machinery and the personal outreach of its top leadership will outweigh the demographic complexities and competitive challenges of the central Assam constituency. As voters prepare to decide, the bypoll is being closely watched for signals about the evolving balance of political forces in the state.
