The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam has become a three-way contest after the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) announced its chief and Binnakandi MLA Badruddin Ajmal as its candidate.
Ajmal, a three-time former Lok Sabha MP, will take on BJP candidate Debasish Sharma and Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora in the October 6 by-election.
The AIUDF announced Ajmal’s candidature after its core committee approved his name. Party general secretary (administration) Hafiz Bashir Ahmed confirmed the decision on Tuesday.
“The AIUDF Core Committee has approved the candidature of M Badurddin Ajmal as party candidate to contest the ensuing by-election to the Lok Sabha from Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency of Assam,” Ahmed said in a statement.
Who is Badruddin Ajmal?
Ajmal is the founder and chief of the AIUDF and has been an important political figure in Assam for several years.
He first entered electoral politics in the 2006 Assam Assembly election, when he won the South Salmara constituency. He later moved to national politics and represented the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat for three consecutive terms from 2009.
Ajmal returned to Assam’s state politics in the 2026 Assembly election and won the newly created Binnakandi constituency in Hojai district.
His decision to contest the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat means he is now returning to the parliamentary electoral arena.
Why is the Nagaon seat going to a by-election?
The by-election became necessary after Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi resigned as the Nagaon MP.
Bordoloi had won the constituency for Congress in the Lok Sabha election. He later joined the BJP before the Assam Assembly election and won the Dispur Assembly constituency.
With Bordoloi no longer representing Nagaon, the seat has now become vacant, leading to the October 6 by-election.
Who are the other candidates?
The BJP has nominated former IAS officer Debasish Sharma. Sharma entered electoral politics after taking voluntary retirement from government service and joined the BJP on September 8.
Congress has selected former Batadroba MLA Sibamoni Bora as its candidate.
The entry of Ajmal has added another major political contender to the race, making the contest one to watch in Assam.
When will the Nagaon bypoll take place?
The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election will be held on October 6.
Counting of votes will take place on October 9.
September 16 is the last date for filing nominations, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 19.
Congress says it is confident
Congress has expressed confidence about its prospects in the by-election.
Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi said the party would run a strong campaign and expressed confidence about winning the seat.
“We are very confident of putting up a solid campaign, and we are confident of a victory in the forthcoming Nagaon by-election,” Gogoi told reporters.
What did Himanta Biswa Sarma say?
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has also linked the Nagaon bypoll to the BJP’s longer-term political plans in the state.
Sarma said that if the BJP wins the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, he expects the party to eventually win all 126 Assembly constituencies in the 2031 Assam Assembly election.
“Let us wait for the bypoll results. If the BJP manages to win this Lok Sabha seat, then the party will secure all 126 assembly constituencies in the 2031 polls,” Sarma said.
He also said that Nagaon has not traditionally been a BJP stronghold but claimed that the political situation had changed in the party’s favour over the past month.
“Even before the elections were announced, many people joined the BJP even in constituencies where we do not have MLAs,” he added.
Why Ajmal’s entry matters
The AIUDF’s decision to field Ajmal brings a well-known Assam politician with previous Lok Sabha experience into the Nagaon contest.
The three candidates now represent three different political parties — BJP, Congress and AIUDF. The final outcome will depend on how voters respond to the three-way contest and how votes are distributed among the candidates.
For now, the Nagaon by-election has emerged as an important political contest in Assam, with the BJP, Congress and AIUDF preparing to campaign for the October 6 vote.
