Nagaon (Assam), 09 October (HS): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintained a commanding lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, with its candidate Devashish Sharma ahead by 1,66,915 votes as of 4 pm on Friday. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) secured the second position, while the Congress slipped to third place, according to official Election Commission data.

BJP candidate Devashish Sharma received 5,76,434 votes, while AIUDF nominee Maulana Badruddin Ajmal polled 4,09,519 votes. Congress candidate Shivamoni Bora secured 1,02,415 votes. A total of 7,501 votes were registered under the None of the Above (NOTA) option. By 4 pm, counting of 11,17,466 votes had been completed.

Polling for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election was held on October 6, recording a voter turnout of 76.19%. The constituency has 19,02,009 registered voters, with 15 candidates, including nominees of the BJP, Congress and AIUDF, contesting the election.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency comprises eight Assembly segments, four of which have a substantial minority voter population. The BJP's performance in these segments has drawn attention, as the party secured either the first or second position in terms of votes in minority-dominated areas.

Traditionally, the Congress and AIUDF have occupied the leading positions in these segments. However, the Congress's third-place finish has triggered political reactions within the opposition camp.

Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi, whose party recently separated from the Congress camp, held Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and MP Rakibul Hussain responsible for what he described as the party's disappointing electoral performance.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash