Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Chief Electoral Officer officials met with political party representatives on September 10 to prepare for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll. The vote happens October 6. They discussed campaign rules, expenditure monitoring, and the Model Code of Conduct. The CEO asked all parties to ensure a free, fair, transparent, and peaceful election.
EVM and VVPAT randomisation starts September 11 at the District Election Officer level. Officials will separate machines by Assembly Constituency. This includes five constituencies in Nagaon and three in Morigaon. The CEO stated, "The CEO emphasised strict compliance with Election Commission instructions and the MCC and sought the cooperation of all political parties to ensure a free, fair, transparent and peaceful by-election."
Candidates must open a specific bank account for campaign costs. They must avoid wearing white, caps, or glasses in nomination photos. Affidavits must match nomination papers exactly. Voters can use one of 12 alternative IDs if they lack an Elector Photo Identity Card. Any campaign ads need approval from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee. The bypoll follows the resignation of Pradyut Bordoloi. He left Congress to join the BJP and won an MLA seat in Dispur.
Updated at 11th September 2026 at 1:49pm
The BJP central office announced Debasish Sharma as their candidate for the Nagaon constituency on September 11. Sharma, a former Nagaon District Commissioner, recently joined the party alongside journalists Lenin Saurav Bora and Gunjan Kalita. Election officials confirmed the vote count will take place on October 9.
Preparations in the Nagaon district involve 1,339 polling stations across 684 locations to accommodate more than 11.38 lakh eligible voters. Authorities are offering home voting options to residents over 85 and citizens with disabilities, while service voters are cleared to use postal ballots. Residents in Nagaon and Morigaon have been ordered to surrender their firearms. The administration is deploying 149 officials and preparing two strong rooms to secure the process.
Updated at 11th September 2026 at 5:49pm
Debasish Sharma hit the ground running after his nomination, framing his run as a personal mission rather than a standard political bid. "The opposition will say anything in politics, but my relationship with people here is very old. I won't go to them as a candidate but as a member of their family," Sharma told reporters. He claims voters are looking past emotion and betting on the BJP's development track record to guide their choices.
The candidate, who officially joined the BJP ranks at the party headquarters in Basistha earlier this week, is leaning on his ties to local leadership. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and state party chief Dilip Saikia for clearing his path to the ticket.
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