Nagaon (Assam), 09 October (HS): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has established a commanding lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, with counting trends till 11 am showing its candidate Devashish Sharma far ahead of his rivals. The Congress, which was initially in contention for the second position, has slipped to third, while the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has moved into second place.

According to official data released by the Election Commission, BJP candidate Devashish Sharma secured 1,33,130 votes, maintaining a substantial lead over his nearest rival, AIUDF candidate Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, who received 64,965 votes.

Congress candidate Shivamoni Bora was placed third with 21,982 votes. Meanwhile, 1,701 voters opted for the None of the Above (NOTA) option.

A total of 15 candidates, including nominees of the BJP, Congress and AIUDF, are contesting the by-election. The counting process began on Thursday morning, with the latest trends indicating a strong performance by the ruling BJP.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash