Guwahati: The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has announced party president Badruddin Ajmal as its candidate for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam. The announcement was made on Tuesday, setting up a four-way contest involving the AIUDF, BJP, Congress and Trinamool Congress.
The by-election to the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat will be held on October 6, while counting of votes will take place on October 9. The seat became vacant earlier this year after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Bordoloi subsequently contested and won the Dispur assembly seat on a BJP ticket in the April assembly elections.
Ajmal, 70, is a former Lok Sabha MP and currently represents the Binnakandi assembly constituency in Hojai district. He represented the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency from 2009 to 2024.
Following the announcement of his candidature, Ajmal expressed confidence about his prospects in the election. He said he expected a decisive victory and claimed that the contest would mainly be between AIUDF and the BJP, while suggesting that Congress would not play a major role.
The BJP has fielded former IAS officer Devasish Sharma. Sharma took voluntary retirement from his position as Nagaon deputy commissioner earlier this month before being named the party's candidate.
Congress has chosen former MLA Sibamoni Bora, while the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress has nominated Abdul Salam. With all four parties entering the contest, the election is expected to attract considerable political attention in Assam.
Another significant development came from Raijor Dal. Party president and MLA Akhil Gogoi announced that his party would not field a candidate in Nagaon. He said the decision was aimed at preventing a division of anti-BJP and anti-communal votes.
Gogoi said Raijor Dal has a political base in the constituency but had decided to stay out of the contest in the interest of consolidating votes against the BJP.
The election schedule will formally begin with the filing of nominations on September 16. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on September 17, while September 19 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
The Nagaon bypoll is likely to be closely watched because of the political significance of the constituency and the presence of several prominent parties. Ajmal's return to the Lok Sabha contest adds another layer to the electoral battle, given his long political career in Assam and his previous experience as a parliamentarian.
The BJP, meanwhile, will seek to retain its political momentum after Bordoloi's switch from Congress and his subsequent victory in the Dispur assembly election. Congress will attempt to defend its support base, while the TMC is also looking to expand its presence in Assam.
With polling scheduled for October 6, the campaign is expected to intensify over the coming weeks. The final outcome will be known on October 9, when votes are counted.
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