Assam: Amid fierce triangular contest Nagaon LS bypoll records 76% turnout

Voting for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam concluded peacefully on Tuesday, with around 76 per cent of the 19.05 lakh eligible electors casting their votes by 5 p.m., an official said. The final turnout is expected to rise as voters who entered polling stations before closing time are allowed to vote.

The bypoll was necessitated after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned to contest the assembly elections from Dispur on a BJP ticket earlier this year.

“Voting, which commenced at 7 a.m., was peaceful as no untoward incident was reported from any polling station in the eight assembly segments under the Lok Sabha constituency,” the official said.

Minor glitches in EVMs were reported at a few booths but were promptly addressed by replacing the machines, allowing polling to continue without disruption.

Among the assembly segments, Samaguri recorded the highest turnout at 80.22 per cent, while Raha had the lowest at 70.27 per cent by 5 p.m. Other segments reported strong participation: Morigaon (72.84 per cent), Nagaon-Batadraba (72.01), Rupahihat (77.67), Dhing (77.93), Jagiroad (76.61), and Laharighat (78.88).

BJP candidate Devashis Sharma, a former IAS officer, cast his vote at Mayong higher secondary school in the Jagiroad assembly segment. After voting, Sharma said, “Voters will elect a suitable candidate”. Sharma was the deputy commissioner of Nagaon district before resigning to contest the by-election.

Congress candidate and former MLA Sibamoni Bora exercised her franchise at Majgaon primary school in Nagaon-Batadraba and remarked, “Everyone is aware that the BJP and the AIUDF are the same entity, but I am confident that the Congress will retain the seat.”

Fifteen candidates are in the fray, but the main contest is expected to be triangular among Sharma, Bora, and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.

Although the bypoll result will not affect the balance of power in Parliament, the stakes are high for the major parties. The ruling BJP aims to expand its base in this Muslim-majority constituency, while the Congress is striving to retain its minority support base. The AIUDF is fighting to maintain its influence after its assembly representation dropped significantly in the April elections.

The district administration has deployed robust security arrangements, designating 624 polling stations as sensitive. The electorate includes 9.43 lakh women and 50 third-gender voters.

Counting of votes is scheduled for 9 October.