BJP wrests Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat after seven years

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma waves to the gathering during an election campaign in support of party candidate Devasish Sharma ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election on October 2, 2026 | Photo Credit: PTI The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in central Assam after seven years, with its candidate Devasish Sharma bagging almost 50% of the votes polled on October 6.The underlying narrative of the BJP’s bypoll victory on Friday (October 9, 2026) was its inroads into areas dominated by Muslims, mostly of Bengal origin, who became a majority in the constituency after the 2023 delimitation.Bypoll results highlights: BJP-NDA’s victory in bypolls shows people have ‘deep-rooted connect’ with alliance, says PM ModiMr. Sharma, a former bureaucrat, polled 7,13,662 votes, which was 1,41,916 more than his nearest rival and chief of the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora, a former MLA, finished a distant third with 1,29,363 votes.Breaks the myth: CMCongratulating Mr. Sharma, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his party’s Nagaon victory shattered the myth that Muslims do not vote for the BJP.“We improved in four Assembly segments held by us and got more votes in the remaining four. We secured a substantial chunk of the religious minority votes. This is mainly because of our development politics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. This victory is a tribute to his leadership and a reflection of the growing public support for him,” he said.The Chief Minister chose the occasion to take a dig at Jorhat MP and State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi. “I don’t have anything to say about him when his party could manage 10% of the votes in a constituency with 62% Muslims. This must be the worst Congress performance,” the Chief Minister said.He also said the Nagaon bypoll outcome has paved the way for the BJP and its allies to bag more than the 102 seats they won in the April 2026 elections. “Don’t be surprised if we win all 126 seats in 2031 [State Assembly polls],” Mr. Sarma said.ECI backed Sarma, Ajmal: GogoiMr. Gogoi said the results reflected the “years of alliance” between Mr. Sarma and Mr. Ajmal, alleging that the Election Commission of India (ECI) backed their association.“The secular Congress fell behind as two communal parties united. We want a probe into the ECI’s role. The drastic fall in the Congress’s vote share, coupled with the stellar performance of the AIUDF, which hardly had any base in the seat, raised our suspicion,” he said.The BJP’s Rajen Gohain, who quit and joined a regional party a few years ago, held the Nagaon seat for four straight terms from 1999 to 2019. Pradyut Bordoloi wrested the seat for Congress in 2019 and retained it in 2024, but resigned before the 2026 Assembly polls and joined the BJP.Mr. Bordoloi is a BJP legislator representing Dispur constituency.The Nagaon win took the BJP’s tally of parliamentary seats in Assam to 10 out of 14. The remaining seats are with Congress (two), the BJP’s ally Asom Gana Parishad (one) and the United People’s Party Liberal (one). Published - October 09, 2026 10:12 pm IST