BJP Wins Nagaon By-Election as Congress Drops to Third

The Bharatiya Janata Party won the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, securing approximately 50 percent of the vote. BJP candidate Devasish Sharma, a former IAS officer, received over 710,000 votes to defeat All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal, who finished second with approximately 570,000 votes. The Indian National Congress candidate, Sibamoni Bora, finished third with roughly 128,000 votes.

The victory marks the BJP's return to the seat after 12 years and is considered significant because Nagaon is a Muslim-majority constituency with over 60 percent of the electorate belonging to minority communities. The by-election was triggered after former Congress MP Pradyot Bordoloi resigned to join the BJP and contest an Assembly seat.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma characterized the result as a "decisive victory" and a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity across different communities. Sarma suggested the result signals the BJP's potential to win all 126 assembly seats in the next state election. In contrast, State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the defeat was the result of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) manipulation by the BJP.