The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Tuesday named party chief and Binnakandi MLA Badruddin Ajmal as its candidate for the October 6 Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, turning the contest into a three-cornered battle involving the BJP, Congress and AIUDF.
Ajmal’s candidature was announced just a day before the September 16 deadline for filing nominations, ending speculation over the party’s choice for the high-profile bypoll.
For the Congress, the entry of Ajmal adds another challenge as the party seeks to retain a constituency that has been won by it for the last two Lok Sabha elections. Earlier reporting noted: Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday said the party is confident of winning the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, and accused the BJP of turning to the AIUDF, which has fielded its chief Badruddin Jamal, after the Congress gave the ticket to former MLA Sibamoni Bora. The Congress, meanwhile, has nominated former Batadroba MLA Sibamoni Bora. His candidature could potentially alter the electoral calculations of both the BJP and Congress, particularly if the contest develops along sharply polarised lines. Bora’s candidature was aimed at providing the party with a familiar political face from the Nagaon-Batadraba region. The BJP, on the other hand, is seeking to expand its influence in a seat where Congress has maintained a strong presence.
Because of his political standing and the party’s established presence among sections of voters in Assam, the AIUDF’s decision to field Ajmal assumes significance. The BJP has fielded former IAS officer Debasish Sharma, who entered active politics after taking voluntary retirement from government service and joined the BJP on September 8. The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi vacated the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat and subsequently joined the BJP before contesting the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
Earlier reporting noted: Despite the AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal entering the contest, Gaurav Gogoi said the Congress sees the BJP as its main opponent in Nagaon. Gogoi described her as a strong candidate who forced the BJP to “seek help” from the AIUDF, describing them as “allies”. Earlier reporting noted: “Sibamoni Bora is a woman leader, a former MLA, with a long record in public life and politics,” he said.
