The Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency is poised for a high-stakes by-election on October 6, with counting of votes scheduled for October 9, in what is shaping up as a multi-cornered contest that will test political realignments in central Assam following the recent Assembly polls. The seat fell vacant after three-time Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, later securing victory from the Dispur constituency.
The BJP has named former Indian Administrative Service officer Devasish Sharma, also referred to in reports as Debashis or Debasish Sharma, as its candidate. Sharma, a 2011-batch officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, served as District Commissioner of Nagaon and earlier of neighbouring Morigaon. He took voluntary retirement from government service in early September and formally joined the BJP shortly thereafter. Party leaders have highlighted his administrative experience in the region and his long-standing association with cancer patients through the Deepsikha Foundation, which provides support to Assamese patients undergoing treatment in Mumbai. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while announcing the candidature, praised Sharma’s service record and public connect built over years of official postings and social work.
The All India Trinamool Congress has fielded Prof. Abdul Salam, vice-principal of Dhing College, positioning the academic as its nominee in a bid to expand its footprint in the state. AIUDF remains in the fray, with earlier indications pointing to Rejaul Karim Sarkar as its candidate, though internal deliberations over the final choice have been reported. Congress, which held the seat for a decade until Bordoloi’s departure, has yet to finalise its nominee. Party leaders, including Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president and Lok Sabha Deputy Leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi, have criticised the BJP’s choice, questioning the nomination of an “outsider” and raising concerns over Sharma’s recent administrative role in the district, including as District Election Officer. Congress has written to the Election Commission seeking scrutiny of poll-related decisions taken during Sharma’s tenure.
The constituency comprises eight Assembly segments, several of which have significant minority populations, notably Lahorighat, Dhing, Rupahihat and Samaguri. Political observers note that the bypoll will serve as an early electoral test of the BJP’s post-Assembly election consolidation and the opposition’s ability to forge a united front. BJP state president Dilip Saikia has expressed confidence, citing recent shifts of local Congress workers and elected representatives in segments such as Samaguri and Lahorighat. The ruling party plans to intensify its campaign, with Chief Minister Sarma expected to join the drive after September 15, beginning with programmes in areas like Rupohihat.
Nomination deadlines, scrutiny and withdrawal windows fall in mid-September, after which the campaign is expected to gather full momentum. Polling personnel randomisation has already begun in phases. With multiple parties in the field and lingering questions over alliance dynamics on the opposition side, the Nagaon bypoll is widely viewed as more than a routine vacancy-filling exercise. It offers a mid-term gauge of public sentiment in a key central Assam seat that has long been contested terrain between development narratives and traditional political loyalties.
As the process advances, all eyes remain on candidate finalisations, campaign strategies and the extent to which local issues—ranging from infrastructure and flood recovery to community representation—shape voter choices on October 6.