Nagaon bypoll: Nationalist Muslims backed BJP before, says Assam CM Sarma
Synopsis
With Assam's Nagaon bypoll days away, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is making an unusual pitch: the BJP has already been winning Muslim votes — and expects more. His citation of 35,000-plus votes in minority-dominated Assembly seats adds data to a claim that most BJP leaders leave at the level of assertion. With Badruddin Ajmal in the race, the Muslim vote arithmetic could decide everything.
Key Takeaways
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on 25 September 2026 that the BJP has historically received support from Muslim voters in Assam.
BJP candidates reportedly received around 35,000 votes in Rupohihat and 38,000 votes in Laharighat — both minority-dominated Assembly seats — in this year's Assembly elections.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled for 6 October , following the resignation of Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi .
The contest is a three-way fight between BJP's Debashish Sharma , Congress's Sibamoni Bora , and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal .
Sarma acknowledged Nagaon is not a traditional BJP seat but said the party is working to broaden its base there.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, 25 September 2026, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has historically drawn votes from the Muslim community and that such support is not a new development in the state. His remarks came ahead of the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll scheduled for 6 October, in what is shaping up to be one of Assam's most closely watched electoral contests in recent years.
What Sarma Said
Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Chief Minister Sarma pointed to specific constituency-level data to back his claim. He said BJP candidates received approximately 35,000 votes in Rupohihat and around 38,000 votes in Laharighat — both minority-dominated Assembly seats — during this year's Assembly elections.
'Many Muslims have been voting for the BJP from earlier. There are also nationalist Muslims,' Sarma said. He also rejected the characterisation that the BJP was opposed to any religion, stating: 'We are not against religion. We talk about issues. We do not do Hindu-Muslim politics.'
The Chief Minister added that his government's focus on issues such as equal rights for women and broader social development had resonated across communities, and claimed BJP meetings in the Nagaon constituency were drawing attendance from multiple communities.
The Nagaon Contest
The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the resignation of former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi. The three-cornered contest features BJP candidate Debashish Sharma, Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal — a configuration that makes the Muslim-voter question especially significant.
Sarma acknowledged that Nagaon has not traditionally been a BJP stronghold, but said the party was actively seeking to expand its support base there. He had previously noted that the BJP held four of the eight Assembly segments within the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, with the Opposition winning the remaining four — underlining the seat's competitive nature.
Political Significance
This comes amid a broader BJP strategy in Assam to peel away segments of the Muslim electorate — particularly those described by party leaders as 'nationalist Muslims' — from the AIUDF and Congress. The presence of Ajmal, who commands significant influence in Muslim-majority belts of Assam, makes the arithmetic particularly complex.
Notably, this is a bypoll that carries outsize importance: Sarma himself described it as one that would send a political message ahead of future elections in the state. A BJP win in a non-traditional seat like Nagaon would represent a significant momentum shift.
What Comes Next
Polling is set for 6 October, with results expected to offer a fresh read on voter sentiment in Assam's Muslim-majority segments. Political observers will be watching whether the BJP's outreach translates into measurable vote-share gains or whether the AIUDF-Congress divide ends up consolidating minority votes in a way that benefits Ajmal or Bora.
Point of View
Not merely a factual observation — and the vote figures he cited deserve scrutiny. Winning 35,000-38,000 votes in minority-dominated seats does not automatically mean those votes came from Muslim voters; constituency demographics and turnout patterns would need to be examined. More broadly, the BJP's outreach in Assam's Muslim belts has been a slow burn since 2021, and this bypoll is effectively a mid-term audit of that strategy. If Ajmal and the Congress split the minority vote, the BJP could benefit without needing a dramatic shift in Muslim support — which raises the question of whether Sarma's claim is about coalition arithmetic as much as genuine community appeal.
NationPress
25 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll?
The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled for 6 October 2026. The seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned.
Who are the main candidates in the Nagaon bypoll?
The three main candidates are BJP's Debashish Sharma, Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora, and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. The three-cornered contest is seen as highly competitive.
Why did Assam CM Sarma bring up Muslim votes ahead of the Nagaon bypoll?
Sarma cited BJP's historical performance in minority-dominated Assembly segments — around 35,000 votes in Rupohihat and 38,000 in Laharighat — to argue that Muslim support for the party is not new. The remarks are widely seen as part of the BJP's voter outreach strategy ahead of the 6 October bypoll.
Is Nagaon a traditional BJP stronghold?
No. Sarma himself acknowledged that Nagaon has not traditionally been a BJP-held seat. The BJP controls four of the eight Assembly segments within the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, with the Opposition holding the other four.
Why does the Nagaon bypoll matter beyond the seat itself?
Sarma has described the bypoll as one that will send a political message ahead of future elections in Assam. A BJP win in a non-traditional, competitive seat would signal a meaningful expansion of the party's electoral footprint in the state.
