Nagaon bypoll: Assam CM says Congress will lose another seat

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Guwahati, Sep 28 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday intensified his campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA candidate Devashish Sharma in the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, asserting that voters were favourably inclined towards the former bureaucrat while taking a swipe at the Congress.

Addressing reporters, Sarma said the BJP had fielded a “good, honest and educated” candidate and questioned why the Congress was objecting to Sharma’s candidature. “Now, it is up to the people to decide whether they want a good candidate who will work for them or the Congress candidate,” he remarked.

Sarma also assessed the political atmosphere in Nagaon, saying the Congress appeared likely to lose another Lok Sabha seat. He said people in Moirabari had already decided to support NDA candidate Devashish Sharma.

The Nagaon constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest, with the BJP-led alliance fielding Sharma, Congress nominating former MLA Sibamoni Bora, and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal also in the fray. The Trinamool Congress has also fielded a candidate.

The by-election was necessitated after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and subsequently joined the BJP. Bordoloi later won the Dispur Assembly seat in the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Sharma, a former IAS officer who served as Nagaon’s Deputy Commissioner, took voluntary retirement from government service on September 3 and joined the BJP on September 8 before being named the party’s candidate. His candidature has drawn criticism from the Congress, which questioned the timing of his transition from administration to politics.

Congress has fielded Sibamoni Bora, while AIUDF has nominated its chief Badruddin Ajmal, a three-time former MP from Dhubri. Multiple contenders have made the Nagaon contest a closely watched political battle in Assam.

Polling for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with counting of votes on October 9. With campaigning intensifying, Sarma’s remarks underline the BJP-led alliance’s effort to frame the contest around Sharma’s credentials and the political choice before Nagaon voters.

–IANS

tdr/dan

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