BJP wrests Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll from Congress, Devasish Sharma wins by 1.57 lakh votes
Synopsis
The BJP has wrested the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat from the Congress in a bypoll, with candidate Devasish Sharma winning by over 1.57 lakh votes according to ECI trends. The Congress, which previously held the seat, was pushed to a distant third place behind the AIUDF — a result CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has called a reflection of PM Modi's cross-community popularity in Assam.
Key Takeaways
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma won the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll on 9 October 2026 with 6,91,804 votes , per ECI trends.
Sharma's winning margin over AIUDF 's Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal (5,34,000 votes) was 1,57,804 votes .
Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finished third with 1,24,081 votes , trailing Ajmal by 4,09,919 votes .
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma credited the win to PM Narendra Modi 's popularity and the BJP's growing cross-community acceptance.
Nagaon was previously held by the Congress and was not traditionally considered a BJP stronghold.
Vote tallies are based on ECI trends and have not been independently verified.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Devasish Sharma won the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam on 9 October 2026, defeating rivals by a substantial margin and handing the party a seat previously held by the Indian National Congress. According to trends from the Election Commission of India (ECI), Sharma secured 6,91,804 votes, pulling ahead by 1,57,804 votes — a result that pushed the Congress to a distant third place.
How the Votes Fell
The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal finished second with 5,34,000 votes, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora trailed in third place with 1,24,081 votes — a gap of 4,09,919 votes behind Ajmal. The margin underlines a sharp erosion of Congress support in a constituency the party once considered competitive. Note: the vote tallies cited are based on ECI trends and could not be independently verified.
Sarma Hails Modi's Popularity
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma swiftly attributed the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal. In a post on social media platform X, Sarma described the outcome as a decisive mandate reflecting the BJP's growing cross-community acceptance in the state.
'Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, BJP has secured a decisive mandate in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bye-election, a seat previously held by the Congress,' Sarma said. He added that the result demonstrated 'the trust reposed by the people of Assam in the Prime Minister's vision of a Viksit Bharat.'
The Chief Minister also thanked the party's grassroots workers and credited BJP state president Nitin Nabin for steering a spirited campaign.
Why Nagaon Matters
Nagaon carries weight beyond its single seat. The constituency's diverse electorate — spanning multiple communities — makes it a bellwether for how national messaging translates in Assam's complex socio-political landscape. Notably, Nagaon was not traditionally considered a BJP stronghold, which makes the margin of victory particularly significant for the party's state unit.
This comes amid broader BJP efforts to consolidate its footprint in northeastern India ahead of future electoral cycles. The defeat for the Congress adds to the party's challenges in reclaiming ground lost in Assam over successive election cycles.
What This Signals for Assam Politics
The bypoll result is likely to be closely analysed by all major parties as they recalibrate strategies for the next round of state elections. For the AIUDF, finishing second ahead of the Congress reinforces its position as the primary opposition force in the constituency. For the Congress, a third-place finish in a seat it once held raises urgent questions about its grassroots organisation and candidate selection. The BJP, meanwhile, can claim the result as validation of both its national leadership and its state-level administrative record under Sarma.
Point of View
Behind even the AIUDF, in a seat the party once held is a structural warning sign, not a tactical blip. Sarma's framing of the win as a Modi mandate is politically useful, but the ground reality in Assam is that the BJP has also built a formidable state-level machine that the opposition has failed to match. The AIUDF holding second place is a detail mainstream coverage may underplay: it signals that the real opposition consolidation in multi-community constituencies is happening around Ajmal's party, not the Congress. Ahead of the next assembly cycle, that split opposition is arguably the BJP's most durable asset in Assam.
NationPress
9 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in 2026?
BJP candidate Devasish Sharma won the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll on 9 October 2026, securing 6,91,804 votes according to ECI trends. He defeated AIUDF's Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal by a margin of 1,57,804 votes, with Congress finishing third.
What was the vote margin in the Nagaon bypoll?
Devasish Sharma of the BJP led by 1,57,804 votes over AIUDF candidate Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, who polled 5,34,000 votes. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finished a distant third with 1,24,081 votes, per ECI trends.
Why is the Nagaon bypoll result significant?
Nagaon was previously held by the Congress and was not considered a traditional BJP stronghold, making the party's decisive win particularly notable. The result also pushed the Congress to third place, highlighting a sharp erosion of its support in the constituency.
What did Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma say about the result?
CM Sarma posted on social media platform X that the BJP had secured a 'decisive mandate' in Nagaon under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. He described the result as proof of growing cross-community acceptance of the BJP and the people's trust in Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
What does the Nagaon bypoll result mean for Assam politics?
The result reinforces the BJP's dominance in Assam and weakens the Congress's claim as the primary opposition force in the state. The AIUDF's second-place finish suggests that opposition consolidation in Assam is gravitating toward Ajmal's party rather than the Congress, a dynamic likely to shape future electoral strategies.
