Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Debashish Sharma was leading in the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll in Assam, securing 47,402 votes, according to the latest Election Commission of India (ECI) trends available on Friday morning.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) candidate and party chief Badruddin Ajmal was in second place with 21,107 votes, while Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora was trailing with 6,544 votes.
According to the figures reported at 10.07 am, Sharma was ahead of Ajmal by 26,295 votes. His lead over Bora stood at 40,858 votes, indicating a clear advantage for the BJP candidate at this stage of counting.
The bypoll has turned into a three-way contest among Sharma, Ajmal and Bora, with the BJP, AIUDF and Congress seeking to secure the parliamentary constituency in Assam.
Vote counting began at 8 am on Friday under tight security arrangements. The counting process was being conducted at Dawson Higher Secondary School and Government Boys’ School in Nagaon district.
Election officials were monitoring the counting process as votes were being tallied at the designated centres. The figures released by the Election Commission reflected the position of the candidates at the time of reporting and could change as counting progressed.
The Nagaon parliamentary constituency is an important electoral seat in Assam, with the contest drawing attention to the performance of the three parties in the bypoll.
The BJP’s Debashish Sharma maintained a substantial lead over both his rivals in the latest available trends, while Ajmal remained in second position and Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora was in third place.
The final outcome will depend on the completion of counting and the official declaration by the Election Commission of India.