Voting in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election recorded a turnout of 17.68% by 9 am on Tuesday, as polling progressed across the constituency in a high-stakes three-cornered contest among BJP's Debashish Sharma, Congress' Sibamoni Bora, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal. Around 19.02 lakh eligible voters spread across 2,112 polling stations were exercising their franchise, with polling beginning at 7 am.

Candidates Cast Their Votes

BJP candidate Debashish Sharma was among the first to vote, casting his ballot at Mayong Higher Secondary School shortly after polling opened. Visibly emotional afterwards, Sharma appealed to voters to participate in the democratic process and underlined the importance of turnout in strengthening democracy.

Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora voted at a polling station in Jajori Majgaon. Speaking after casting her ballot, Bora expressed confidence in her electoral prospects and said she anticipated support from voters across both minority and majority communities.

Several prominent political figures also exercised their franchise in the early hours. Morigaon MLA Ramakanta Deuri voted at Deobaguri Primary School, while Rupohihat MLA Nurul Huda cast his ballot at Roumari Maktab School.

EVM Glitch Briefly Disrupts Polling at Morigaon Booth

Polling was temporarily disrupted at Polling Station No. 72 in East Sidhabari, Morigaon district, following a malfunction in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). According to officials, the technical fault occurred after five voters had already cast their votes. Voters at the booth waited in place while arrangements were made to resolve the issue and resume polling. The glitch was reported as isolated, with voting proceeding peacefully elsewhere across the constituency.

Why This Bypoll Is Politically Significant

The Nagaon by-election was triggered after sitting Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha on 20 March, having left Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Bordoloi subsequently contested and won the Dispur Assembly seat in the Assam Assembly elections, leaving the Nagaon parliamentary constituency vacant.

Nagaon has been a Congress stronghold in recent electoral cycles. In 2019, Bordoloi narrowly defeated BJP's Rupak Sharma, securing 49.53% of the vote against the BJP's 48.41%. By 2024, Bordoloi had widened Congress's margin dramatically, polling 7,88,850 votes (51.29%) against BJP's Suresh Borah, who received 5,76,619 votes — a winning margin of over 2.12 lakh votes.

Notably, the entry of AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal introduces a significant new variable, with the constituency's substantial minority voter base potentially split between Congress and the AIUDF. This comes amid broader questions about whether Congress can retain its hold on a seat its own former MP has now abandoned.

What's at Stake

The outcome of the Nagaon bypoll will serve as an early indicator of voter sentiment in Assam ahead of future electoral cycles. For the BJP, a win would represent a remarkable turnaround in a seat it has twice failed to capture. For Congress, retaining Nagaon without its most popular local face would signal organisational resilience. For AIUDF, a strong showing would cement Ajmal's relevance in Assam's evolving political arithmetic. Counting is yet to be scheduled, and the final voter turnout figure will offer an early signal of the level of public engagement in this closely watched contest.