BJP’s Devasish Sharma wins Nagaon by-election

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Devasish Sharma won the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, defeating All India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal by 1,42,224 votes, according to the final tally reported Friday. Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora finished third. Sharma received 7,14,349 votes, compared with 5,72,125 for Ajmal; Bora received 1,29,492. The October 6 poll drew a reported turnout of 76.19% in one account and 76.16% in another. The constituency has eight Assembly segments across Nagaon and Morigaon districts, and 15 candidates contested the seat. The by-election followed the resignation of Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who left the Lok Sabha and later won the Dispur Assembly seat as a BJP candidate. The result returned Nagaon to the BJP after Congress had held it since 2019. The BJP’s tally in Assam’s 14 Lok Sabha constituencies rose to 10, according to the reported post-election figures. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the result showed the BJP had won a substantial share of votes from religious minorities, which he attributed to the party’s development politics.