Out of a total of 25 nomination papers filed for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, 18 have been declared valid. On Saturday, three candidates withdrew their nominations, leaving 15 candidates in the fray. The main contenders are BJP candidate Debashish Sharma, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, and Congress candidate Shivamani Bora.
Congress candidate Shivamani Bora alleged, “People are being intimidated if they do not show support for the BJP. They are being told they will be implicated in false cases, creating an atmosphere of fear among voters.”
BJP candidate Debashish Sharma expressed faith in the wisdom of the voters, stating, “The people of Nagaon know the local problems very well. Unemployment is one of the biggest issues in the district. Our responsibility is to bring development and create employment opportunities, with a main goal of empowering the youth.”
Meanwhile, the pro-Mamata Trinamool in Assam has boycotted the Nagaon by-election and announced the withdrawal of its candidate in protest against the Election Commission taking away the ‘Joraphool’ (Twin Flowers) symbol and the party name. The party’s state convener and sole MLA, Sherman Ali, termed the suspension of the party name and symbol as “undemocratic” and “unjust,” adding that the Assam Trinamool fully supports Mamata Banerjee’s decision. He claimed the decision insults the democratic rights of the people of Assam.
When asked about the impact of the symbol and name change on his position, Sherman Ali said, “We are still not accepting the change of symbol and party name. Mamata has approached the Supreme Court regarding this. I am still a Trinamool Congress MLA in Assam.”
Voting for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election will be held on October 6, and the counting of votes will take place on October 9.