Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election will be held on Tuesday and is going to be a crucial poll battle between the BJP, Congress and AIUDF. The seat, which Congress won in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections, fell vacant after Pradyut Bordoloi left the Congress, joined the BJP and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat in the 2026 Assam assembly elections.
For Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, the BJP has bet on former IAS officer Debashish Sharma, while Congress has fielded ex-Batadroba MLA Sibamoni Bora, and Badruddin Ajmal will contest from the AIUDF.
Bora’s vehicle was also reported damaged. Bordoloi subsequently moved to the BJP and won the Dispur Assembly constituency, leaving Nagaon without its sitting Lok Sabha member. The BJP has now turned to former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Debashish Sharma, while Congress has fielded former Batadroba MLA Sibamoni Bora. AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal’s decision to contest has added another major factor to the electoral arithmetic. His candidature has itself become a campaign issue. Congress MP Rakibul Hussain had approached the Assam Chief Electoral Officer seeking scrutiny of election-related decisions taken during Sharma’s tenure as district election officer, citing his recent transition from administration to electoral politics. The BJP has put considerable organisational weight behind Sharma. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been campaigning extensively for him, with the party scheduling a series of rallies across the constituency. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal has also campaigned for Sharma. For the BJP, the by-election offers an opportunity to convert Bordoloi’s switch to the party into a parliamentary win in Nagaon. Congress has bet on Sibamoni Bora to defend the constituency. Bora’s campaign has been backed by senior state and national leaders, including Congress’ Assam president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi and Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain. The Congress campaign has focused heavily on the BJP government and on the political circumstances that led to the by-election. Party leaders have also repeatedly raised questions about the BJP’s relationship with the AIUDF and alleged that a divided opposition vote could benefit the ruling party. Gogoi has alleged that AIUDF’s decision to field Ajmal was intended to split votes against the BJP. The charge has been rejected by AIUDF, which maintains that it is contesting independently. Himanta Biswa Sarma disputed the Congress version and accused rival groups within the Congress of being responsible. The competing claims have added another layer of tension to an already aggressive campaign. The entry of Badruddin Ajmal has changed the shape of the contest. Instead of a direct BJP-Congress battle, the AIUDF chief is now campaigning across Nagaon himself, attacking both major parties and projecting his party as an independent alternative. Ajmal has repeatedly claimed that he can win the seat and has questioned the electoral prospects of both Sharma and Bora. He has also targeted Sharma over his political transition from the civil service, while taking aim at Congress leaders, particularly Rakibul Hussain. One of the most visible political battles of the campaign has been between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rakibul Hussain . The exchanges between the two leaders have moved well beyond conventional attacks over policy and governance. In response, Hussain sarcastically commented that God had sent him in this world to eat biryani. The remarks have become a prominent talking point in the closing phase of the campaign, with the BJP and Congress continuing to trade attacks. Ajmal has also joined the verbal battle, taking his own shots at Hussain. At the centre of the by-election is the political journey of Pradyut Bordoloi.
In 2024, the three-way contest in Nagaon had seen Bordoloi winning the seat, while BJP’s Suresh Borah was in second place and AIUDF’s Aminul Islam finished third. He took voluntary retirement from the IAS on September 3 after serving as Nagaon’s Deputy Commissioner. He joined the BJP on September 8 and was named the party’s candidate shortly afterwards. The party’s campaign received national attention on September 21 after a Congress convoy travelling through the Barma area of Samaguri was allegedly targeted with stones and bottles. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the AIUDF candidate received nearly 8.9 per cent of the vote in Nagaon. He represented Nagaon for two consecutive terms and won the constituency again in 2024 with more than half of the votes. The official Election Commission data shows that he secured 7,88,850 votes, while BJP’s Suresh Borah received 5,76,619 and AIUDF’s Aminul Islam polled 1,37,340. The high-octane campaign, meanwhile, has ended and the counting will take place on October 9.
Gogoi alleged that the BJP workers were behind the incident and said vehicles carrying him, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and other Congress leaders were attacked. Sarma had referred to Hussain as “Bakasura”, invoking the mythological figure known for his enormous appetite, while accusing him of “gobbling up” funds meant for government schemes. Sarma then took the exchange further at a rally in Juria, saying that those born to drink their mother’s milk are human beings, while those “born to eat biryani” are animals.
The BJP’s candidate, Debashish Sharma, entered electoral politics only weeks before the by-election.
The exchanges have given the final phase of the campaign a distinctly personal tone, even as the three parties continue to speak about development, representation, governance and the interests of their respective supporters.
Ajmal’s presence has brought the question of vote division to the centre of the campaign.
