Nagaon, Sept 22: With just over two weeks left for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, the district administration has fine-tuned its preparations to ensure a smooth and orderly poll process. A high-level review meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of District Election Officer and District Commissioner Aranyak Saikia finalised arrangements involving 203 sectors and 53 zonal officers to oversee 1,339 polling stations across the constituency.
The bypoll, scheduled for October 6 with counting on October 9, was necessitated after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and the party, joined the BJP, and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat in the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. The constituency, which spans eight Assembly segments — five in Nagaon district (Dhing, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Raha and Nagaon-Batadraba) and three in Morigaon district (Jagiroad, Laharighat and Morigaon) — has approximately 19.07 lakh eligible voters.
Fifteen candidates remain in the fray after three nominees withdrew their candidatures by the deadline. The principal contenders are BJP’s Debashish Sharma, a former IAS officer and erstwhile Deputy Commissioner of Nagaon and Morigaon who took voluntary retirement to enter politics; Congress’s Sibamoni Bora, a former MLA; and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. Other candidates include independents and nominees from smaller parties. The Trinamool Congress (Mamata Banerjee faction) candidate Abdul Salam was among those who withdrew.
In Monday’s review meeting, officers were directed to visit every polling station in advance, assess facilities and address shortcomings related to lighting, boundary walls, drinking water, toilets and road connectivity. One sector covers roughly ten polling stations, while each zonal officer oversees three to four sectors. Emphasis has also been placed on the use of the Election Commission’s cVIGIL app to report violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
Both the BJP and Congress have named 40 star campaigners each, signalling the high stakes attached to the contest. The BJP’s list is led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and includes Union ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, along with several state ministers and MPs. Congress has fielded former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel (AICC in-charge of Assam), Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, MPs Rakibul Hussain and Wazed Ali Choudhury, and leaders such as Pawan Khera and Kanhaiya Kumar.
Campaigning has intensified across the constituency, with development, unemployment, flood management and minority concerns emerging as key issues. The demographic profile of the seat — where the minority population is estimated at over 50 per cent following delimitation — has made it a closely watched three-way contest. Political tensions have periodically surfaced, including reports of a Congress convoy attack and clashes between rival supporters in Samaguri, with parties trading accusations of intimidation and use of muscle power.
Officials have assured that strict security protocols will be enforced, particularly in sensitive areas, to maintain law and order on polling day. Strong rooms and counting centres have been identified, and election materials distribution plans are in place.
As the campaign enters its final phase, the Nagaon bypoll is widely seen as an important early test of political equations in Assam following the Assembly elections earlier this year.