AIUDF fields Badruddin Ajmal in Nagaon, setting up three-cornered bypoll fight
AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal will contest the October 6 Nagaon Lok Sabha byelection, where he faces BJP and Congress rivals.
The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has named its party president, Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal, as its candidate for the October 6 byelection to the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency in central Assam. The announcement was made on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
With Mr. Ajmal in the fray, Nagaon — where Muslim voters form the majority — appears set for a three-cornered contest. His principal rivals are Devasish Sharma of the BJP, a former bureaucrat, and former MLA Sibamoni Bora of the Congress. The Trinamool Congress has fielded Abdul Salam.
Mr. Ajmal is an MLA from the Binnakandi constituency in central Assam and has served three terms as MP from Dhubri in western Assam.
His nomination drew a sharp reaction from the Congress. Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the AIUDF chief had entered the race at the BJP's instance, saying the party had another candidate in mind before the Congress announced its nominee. He claimed the BJP, having sensed a strong Congress candidate, turned to a trusted ally, and that Mr. Ajmal's candidature was intended to aid Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The Assam unit of the BJP rejected the suggestion of any arrangement with the AIUDF, with a spokesperson noting that every party and individual in a democracy has the right to contest from any seat.
Earlier, the Chief Minister described the Nagaon by-poll as crucial for the BJP, arguing that a win could set the stage for the party and its allies to sweep all 126 Assembly seats in 2031. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 102 seats in the April 9 Assembly elections. He said voter sentiment in Assam was shifting towards the BJP and expressed confidence about a strong showing in what has traditionally been a Congress stronghold.
The byelection was necessitated after Pradyut Bordoloi, who won a second consecutive term in 2024, left the Congress for the BJP and contested the State polls five months ago. He was elected from the Dispur Assembly constituency. Mr. Bordoloi had ended the BJP's unbroken run of victories in Nagaon since the 1999 Lok Sabha polls.
Nomination papers must be filed by September 16, and withdrawals are permitted until September 19. Votes will be counted on October 9.