The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election has entered its most intense phase, with campaigning scheduled to conclude on October 5 and polling set for October 6. Counting of votes will take place on October 9. What began as a relatively straightforward bypoll necessitated by the resignation of two-term Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi has evolved into a high-stakes triangular contest that is being closely watched across Assam and beyond.

Bordoloi, who won the seat for Congress in both 2019 and 2024, resigned from the Lok Sabha and the party earlier this year to join the BJP ahead of the Assam Assembly elections. He subsequently contested and won the Dispur Assembly seat, becoming an MLA. The resulting vacancy triggered the bypoll in this central Assam constituency, which covers eight Assembly segments across Nagaon and Morigaon districts and has a significant minority electorate estimated at over 55 per cent in some analyses.

Fifteen candidates remain in the fray after withdrawals. The principal contenders are BJP’s Debashis Sharma, a former IAS officer and recent District Commissioner of Nagaon who took voluntary retirement in early September, joined the BJP shortly thereafter, and was quickly fielded as the party’s candidate; Congress’s Sibamoni Bora, a former Batadrava MLA and earlier Assam Civil Service officer; and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, the sitting Binnakandi MLA and three-time former Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri.

On October 4, the National Democratic Alliance significantly ramped up its campaign. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been at the forefront, addressing 15 large public meetings that covered every one of the eight Assembly segments under the Nagaon parliamentary constituency. Alongside him, a battery of senior leaders and star campaigners including Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia, AGP president Atul Bora, Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, and cabinet ministers such as Pijush Hazarika, Jayanta Malla Baruah, Keshab Mahanta, Rameswar Teli, Sushanta Borgohain and Ajanta Neog collectively addressed more than 1,100 meetings of varying sizes.

The party’s organisational machinery has been equally active at the micro level. Twenty-five Mandal Committees across Nagaon and Morigaon organised extensive door-to-door campaigns and over 5,000 courtyard meetings. Different BJP wings independently conducted more than 9,500 courtyard meetings, with notable contributions from the Nagaon Mahila Morcha, Nagaon Yuva Morcha, Morigaon Yuva Morcha, Nagaon Minority Morcha and Morigaon Mahila Morcha, in addition to targeted outreach by other morchas. For the final day of campaigning on October 5, the NDA has planned simultaneous padyatras starting at 11:00 AM from all 2,309 polling booths in the constituency. Party workers, local voters and supporters are expected to participate in this coordinated grassroots show of strength.

In his recent rallies, particularly those held on October 3 in Jagiroad, Rupahihat and Morigaon, Sarma focused heavily on women- and youth-centric schemes. He highlighted the Orunodoi scheme under which eligible beneficiaries receive Rs 1,250 per month and the Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan for women entrepreneurs, while also promising fulfilment of the two-lakh government jobs pledge and urging youth to prepare for upcoming recruitments. He repeatedly stressed inclusive development without discrimination on the basis of religion and pointed to major projects such as the Tata semiconductor facility at Jagiroad as evidence of transformative industrial growth. A light moment during one of his interactions a woman from the crowd kissing him on the cheek went viral, with Sarma himself sharing the video with a humorous caption about future memes.

Congress has fielded a 40-member star campaigner team that includes Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Assam in-charge Bhupesh Baghel, MP Rakibul Hussain, and several national and state leaders. The party has framed the contest as a fight to safeguard constitutional rights and inclusive development. Gogoi has been particularly vocal, attacking Sarma on multiple fronts and emphasising the importance of the seat in the broader parliamentary arithmetic.

AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal has positioned himself as a strong alternative, particularly among minority voters. The campaign has seen sharp exchanges. On October 3, BJP candidate Debashis Sharma filed an FIR against Ajmal at Nagaon Sadar Police Station, alleging that the AIUDF chief made false and defamatory remarks, including calling him a “murderer” in connection with the controversial case of Mumtaz Begum, one of the missing persons issues that has resurfaced in the campaign. Ajmal responded by describing the FIR as a “blessing” that would help him politically.

Other issues that have featured prominently include unemployment, infrastructure development or the lack of it in some areas, flood-related grievances, land rights, and the division of the minority vote. The All-Assam Minority Students’ Union has publicly endorsed the BJP-led alliance candidate, prioritising development over other considerations. Security arrangements have been strengthened, with the district administration deploying zonal and sector officers across the large number of polling stations. The Model Code of Conduct remains in force.

This is the first major electoral contest in Assam since the BJP-led NDA’s decisive victory in the April 2026 Assembly elections, in which the alliance secured 102 of 126 seats. Political observers see the Nagaon bypoll as a test of whether the ruling alliance can expand into a constituency with a substantial minority population and whether the opposition can consolidate or will remain divided. The result could also influence the tone of politics in the state in the coming years and has been linked by some leaders to larger national questions such as parliamentary numbers and delimitation.

As the final padyatras and rallies unfold on October 5, the atmosphere in Nagaon remains charged. Voters will deliver their verdict on October 6, with the outcome expected to offer the first clear post-Assembly-election signal of the political mood in this strategically important part of Assam.

read more: https://www.speakforassam.com/article/cm-claims-bjp-sweep-in-nagaon-bypoll-after-triple-rally-blitz