BJP scripts history in Nagaon, signals gains in Muslim outreach in Assam

Guwahati: Ruling BJP has scripted history by winning the Nagaon Lok Sabha polls. By winning the seat the BJP has well established its Muslim minority outreach in Assam

Rajen Gohain, former Union minister and BJP leader had represented Nagaon in the Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2019. Nagaon has 19,05,519 voters, with 9,62,023 male, 9,43,446 female and 50 third gender voters. After the delimitation in 2023, it became Muslim minority dominated constituency as minority dominated Dhing, Rupohihat and Samaguri came within its folds from erstwhile Kaliabor Lok Sabha seat, while Barhampur, Hojai and Lumding were axed.

The size of Muslim voters is around 51 percent in the seat. The bye election poll percentage stood over 76 percent.


BJP ‘s Devasish Sharma, former bureaucrat got over 713622 votes,while All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president Badruddin Ajmal garnered 571706 votes. Congress’s Sibamoni Bora could manage to get only 129363 votes.

Ajmal is MLA from Binnakandi Assembly constituency. By-election to the seat was hedld as sitting MP from the Congress, Pradyut Bordoloi, resigned and left the Congress. He contested the assembly election in April this year from Dispur seat on a BJP ticket and won the seat. Congress has twice in 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls wrested the seat.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had campaigned in the seat. Sarma stated in X, “ Under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, BJP has secured a decisive victory in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, a seat previously held by the Congress. Our candidate Devasish Sharma has emerged victorious in a seat not traditionally considered our stronghold, with the Congress pushed to third place. This result reflects Adarniya Modi ji's popularity across communities and the continued trust the people of Assam place in his vision of a Viksit Bharat. I thank the people of Nagaon for this resounding mandate and promise to carry our Vikas journey forward with greater vigour. My heartfelt gratitude to our karyakartas, who ran a spirited campaign under the guidance of our Adarniya Adhyaksh Nitin Nabinji.”

Sarma stated, “Right after the Nagaon by-election, we started preparing for Diwali. In the seat where more than 50% of the voters are from the Alpamat community, BJP is the Number 1 party and Congress is at Number 3. This is heart-stealing.”

In an unprecedented move ahead of elections All-Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) has announced its support for the BJP-led alliance candidate Devasish Sharma. The organisation had urged minority voters in the constituency to vote for him in the interest of development.

During the first tenure of Himanta Biswa Sarma carried out a series of eviction drives in the government lands. The poll plank of BJP in the by election was that people want development then ensure win of BJP candidate.

Earlier Ajmal had rejected the Congress party’s offer of jointly fighting the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat. Ajmal the perfume baron and Maulana had lost in 2024 Lok seat from Dhubri.

Political analysts said, “People opted for the ruling government as Congress was riddled with internal fights and gradually the minority voters have embraced the outreach unleashed by BJP. Congress always considered Nagaon safest seat however it proved otherwise in the by polls.”

Congress party in recently held assembly polls has delivered 19 seats out of which 18 were minority dominated. BJP has not fielded a single minority candidate in the assembly polls.

In Assembly polls held in April this year Sarma had not campaigned in 25 constituencies where Miya Muslim are dominant voters. ‘Miya’ is a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, whose ancestors have roots in Bangladesh. Bengali-speaking Muslims are often referred to as 'Miya' Muslims. Muslims comprise 34% of Assam’s 3.12 crore population, of which around 4% are indigenous Assamese Muslims, while the majority are Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Ahead of the Nagaon polls Sarma has described the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll as crucial for the BJP. He said that victory of the party in Nagaon will signal that the party can win all the 126 assembly seats in 2031 assembly polls.

The Chief Minister said the BJP has observed a shift in voter sentiment towards the party over the past month.

"If BJP wins the Nagaon by poll, then in the next Assembly election we will win 126 seats. Nagaon is not traditionally a BJP stronghold and has historically been a Congress seat,” Sarma said.

BJP in Assam had swept the assembly polls and formed the government for a third consecutive term in Assam in May this year. BJP for the first time crossed the majority mark on its own.

From 60 seats in 2021, the party won 82 in the 126-member assembly. NDA together won 102 seats. Both Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front won 10 seats each.