Guwahati: Independent candidate Yunis Tamuli is shaking up the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. He hit hard against the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front in Rupohihat. The race is heating up. Tamuli specifically took aim at AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal for performing roadside prayers in Nagaon.
Tamuli demanded the party stop using faith to chase votes. He accused the AIUDF of playing religious politics whenever an election nears. Critics claim Tamuli is just a BJP agent trying to split the minority vote. He rejected these claims outright.
The candidate also slammed the Congress for failing to run a minority candidate in a district with a large minority population. He suggested the party fears rising minority leadership. Tamuli claimed the Congress is actually more communal than the BJP. Regarding the BJP, he noted that Muslims within that party still face scrutiny. He stated, "Muslims continued to face questions about their acceptance within the party despite some members wearing BJP caps."
The contest centers on minority representation and how regional parties affect the final count. Tamuli wonders if his run makes him a major player or just a spoiler. Voters are watching the divide closely.
Updated at 27th September 2026 at 1:48am
The political heat is spreading beyond independent candidates. Assam minister and AGP leader Atul Bora jumped into the mix this weekend, blasting AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal for putting business interests ahead of public service. Bora claimed voters in Dhubri already soured on Ajmal, who lost his seat earlier this year to Congress candidate Rakibul Hussain. Bora pushed hard for the BJP-led alliance pick, Devashish Sharma, a former IAS officer and Nagaon district commissioner who resigned his post earlier this month to run for office.
The race officially hits the ballot box on October 6, with vote counting scheduled for October 9. While Tamuli digs into the motives of the major parties, the establishment is shifting its strategy. The seat opened up after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi jumped ship to the BJP to take a seat in the Dispur Assembly. Now, with the Congress fielding Sibamoni Bora and the BJP backing Sharma, the scramble for minority support remains the campaign's central grind.
Updated at 27th September 2026 at 9:49am
Tensions hit a boiling point at a Congress rally in Pakhimoria where APCC president Gaurav Gogoi accused the Election Commission of being a wing of the BJP. Gogoi claimed the commission is actively manipulating voter rolls and suppressing new registrations under pressure from the ruling party. He leveled a blistering charge against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, stating: We had heard about the BJP IT cell, but now a BJP IT cell has been opened right inside Gyanesh Kumar's office.
Gogoi also hit back at the administration after a convoy carrying Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora came under attack in Samaguri. He claimed assailants threw stones and bottles at the vehicle while police stood by, urging voters to settle the score at the ballot box.
The campaign trail turned into a slugfest over policy as well. Minister Pijush Hazarika hit the ground in Dhing with a campaign promise to hand out land pattas to poor families in the char areas if the BJP takes the seat. He also pitched government support for palm oil cultivation in those regions to woo local farmers. When confronted with a wrestling challenge from Ajmal, Hazarika brushed it off with a jab at the AIUDF leader's age, saying he would offer respect instead of a brawl.
Updated at 27th September 2026 at 1:49pm
Gogoi widened his assault on the Election Commission during a rally in Raha. He pointed to the constituency's past elections, claiming the BJP systematically scrubbed names from rolls and stonewalled new voters filing Form 6. He framed the pushback as a defense of the voting age standards established by Rajiv Gandhi, arguing the government is actively stripping rights from students, women, and workers.
The Congress campaign also pushed the narrative of a rigged system, with leaders chanting slogans branding the BJP as vote thieves. During a separate stop in Kachua, Gogoi mocked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, suggesting the CM’s recent praise for the Chief Election Commissioner and his suggestion that the official be awarded the Bharat Ratna proves the alliance between the two parties.
AICC secretary Manoj Chauhan weighed in on the Samaguri incident, labeling the targeting of a woman candidate an act of cowardice. He linked the local hostility to a national strategy, accusing the Prime Minister of leveraging the election machinery to secure wins. Congress leadership confirmed that despite the threats and black flags encountered on the road, they intend to keep pushing their schedule until the October 6 deadline.
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