- Devashish Sharma secured over 2.26 lakh votes; AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in second place

Nagaon (Assam), 09 October (HS): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established a decisive lead in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election as vote counting progressed on Friday, while the Congress slipped to third place, according to trends available till noon. The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate remained in second position.

According to figures released by the Election Commission, BJP candidate Devashish Sharma received 2,26,491 votes, while AIUDF candidate Maulana Badruddin Ajmal secured 1,49,487 votes. Congress candidate Shivamoni Bora was trailing with 38,437 votes. A total of 2,890 voters opted for None of the Above (NOTA).

A total of 15 candidates are contesting the by-election. By the latest available update, 4,14,526 votes had been counted. The BJP secured 53.22% of the votes, followed by the AIUDF with 35.13% and the Congress with 9.03%. NOTA accounted for 0.68% of the votes.

The performance of the BJP in minority-dominated areas has also drawn attention during the counting process. The Nagaon parliamentary constituency comprises eight Assembly segments, four of which are considered minority-dominated. According to the available trends, the BJP was placed either first or second in terms of votes in these segments as well.

The Congress and the AIUDF have traditionally performed well in several of these areas. The Congress's third-place position in the current counting trends has therefore brought changes in the constituency's electoral dynamics into focus. However, the final outcome will be clear only after the completion of counting and the formal declaration of results by the Election Commission.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash