Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed on September 7 that the BJP will name its candidate for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll within two days. The seat opened up after the sitting MP moved to the state Assembly. Sarma noted that the party expects to release its list for the Silchar Municipal Corporation elections on September 8.
Nagaon remains a tough challenge for the ruling party. Sarma admits the constituency is not a traditional BJP stronghold. The party lost the previous election there by 2.5 lakh votes. The seat includes seven Assembly segments: Jagiroad, Morigaon, Raha, Samaguri, Dhing, Lahorighat, and Rupahihat. While the BJP claimed Jagiroad, Morigaon, and Raha in the 2026 Assembly cycle, Congress and its allies hold the other four.
The Chief Minister outlined a focused game plan for the contest. He intends to hold the three seats already in the bag while working to boost numbers in the remaining territory. He avoided making bold predictions about the final tally. “We will not speak about win or loss as we have lost the last Lok Sabha polls with 2.5 lakh votes,” Sarma said.
Party leaders also gathered to discuss the upcoming Seva Sankalp Abhiyan. The initiative runs from September 17 to October 17. It honors Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his 25 years in public life. Additionally, Sarma stated he will skip the BJP joining ceremony for Debashish Sharma, though he offered no explanation for his absence.
Updated at 8th September 2026 at 5:51pm
Election officials have locked in the polling date for October 6, with vote counting set for October 9. The Model Code of Conduct is now in effect across the district. Candidates have until September 16 to file nomination papers, with a scrutiny period on September 17 and a withdrawal deadline of September 19.
District Commissioner Aranyak Saikia, acting as the returning officer, reported a total constituency electorate of 19,07,209 voters spanning eight Assembly segments. This includes the five constituencies in Nagaon district and three in Morigaon. To tighten security, authorities have ordered residents in both districts to surrender their firearms immediately.
The administration is preparing strong rooms at the Nagaon Government Higher Secondary Boys School and Dawson Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School to house ballots. Officials will use these same sites for the final vote count.
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