AIUDF Fields Badruddin Ajmal for Nagaon Lok Sabha Bypoll

The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has named its president and Binnakandi MLA, Badruddin Ajmal, as its candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, scheduled for October 6. The announcement, made a day before the September 16 nomination deadline, ends uncertainty over the party's pick for the seat.

The AIUDF had earlier signalled that Rezaul Karim Sarkar might be its nominee, but ultimately decided to field its own chief. Ajmal's entry turns the bypoll into a three-way contest.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Debasish Sharma, a former IAS officer who took voluntary retirement from government service and joined the party on September 8. The Congress has nominated Sibamoni Bora, a former MLA from Batadroba.

Ajmal's candidature is significant given his political profile and the AIUDF's support base among sections of Assam's electorate. It could reshape the calculations of both the BJP and the Congress, especially if the campaign becomes sharply polarised.

For the Congress, which has won Nagaon in the last two Lok Sabha elections, Ajmal's presence adds to the challenge of retaining the seat. Bora was chosen to give the party a familiar face from the Nagaon-Batadraba region. The BJP, meanwhile, is looking to expand its footprint in a constituency where the Congress has long held an edge, and is expected to lean on Sharma's administrative experience and local familiarity.

The bypoll was triggered after Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi vacated the Nagaon seat and later joined the BJP before contesting the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Nominations close on September 16, and withdrawals are permitted until September 19. Voting will be held on October 6, with counting on October 9. The result is expected to offer a pointer to the political mood in central Assam ahead of the 2029 general election, making Nagaon one of the state's most closely watched contests.