Guwahati, Oct 6 (IANS) : Voting for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election recorded a turnout of 17.68 per cent by 9 a.m. on Tuesday, as polling continued across the constituency amid a high-stakes three-cornered contest between BJP’s Debashish Sharma, Congress’ Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.
Polling began at 7 a.m. at 2,112 polling stations, with around 19.02 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots in the by-election.
Voters were seen arriving at polling stations across urban and rural areas as the electoral process progressed peacefully.
BJP candidate Debashish Sharma exercised his franchise at Mayong Higher Secondary School soon after polling began.
After casting his vote, Sharma became emotional while appealing to voters to participate in the democratic process. He urged people to exercise their franchise, underlining the importance of voting in strengthening democracy.
Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora cast her vote at a polling station in Jajori Majgaon. Speaking after voting, Bora expressed confidence in her electoral prospects and said she expected support from voters across both minority and majority communities.
Several prominent political figures also voted during the early hours. Morigaon MLA Ramakanta Deuri cast his ballot at Deobaguri Primary School, while Rupohihat MLA Nurul Huda voted at Roumari Maktab School.
Meanwhile, polling was temporarily affected at Polling Station No. 72 in East Sidhabari, Morigaon district, following an EVM malfunction.
Officials reported that the technical problem occurred after five voters had already cast their votes. Voters remained at the booth while arrangements were being made to rectify the issue and resume polling.
The Nagaon by-election has emerged as a closely watched contest, with the BJP, Congress and AIUDF seeking to consolidate their respective support bases across the constituency.
Polling will continue until the scheduled closing time, with authorities maintaining arrangements at booths across the constituency.
The final voter turnout is expected to provide an early indication of the level of voter engagement in the politically significant by-election.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election was necessitated after sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha on March 20, after leaving Congress and joining the BJP.
Bordoloi subsequently contested and won the Dispur Assembly seat in the Assam Assembly elections, leaving Nagaon vacant and triggering the bypoll. The seat is particularly significant because it has been held by the Congress since 2019 and is now witnessing a three-way contest between the BJP, Congress and AIUDF.
For Congress, Nagaon has been a stronghold in the last two Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, Pradyut Bordoloi defeated BJP’s Rupak Sharma by a very narrow margin, securing about 49.53 per cent of the vote against the BJP’s 48.41 per cent. In 2024, Bordoloi strengthened Congress’ position, winning 7,88,850 votes (51.29 per cent of valid votes) and defeating BJP’s Suresh Borah, who polled 5,76,619 votes. Congress’s margin rose dramatically to over 2.12 lakh votes in 2024.
The current bypoll, therefore, represents a major test of whether Congress can retain the seat despite Bordoloi’s defection and the entry of AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal.
