Voting began at 7 am on Tuesday in Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, where around 19.05 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots. A total of 15 candidates are contesting the by-election.
The key candidates include BJP’s Devashish Sharma, Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal. The contest has emerged as a major three-way electoral battle in the constituency.
Voter turnout reached 17.68% by 9 am, according to officials. By 11 am, the overall polling percentage had increased to 37.82%. Laharighat recorded the highest turnout among the eight Assembly segments, reaching 42.49% by 11 am.
Officials said polling remained peaceful during the morning hours. Minor EVM-related issues were reported at some locations, while election authorities continued efforts to ensure smooth voting.
The constituency has 2,312 polling stations, including five auxiliary booths. Authorities have also identified hundreds of stations as sensitive and made additional security arrangements.
The Nagaon seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and later contested the Assam Assembly election from Dispur on a BJP ticket.
The by-election is being closely watched because of the participation of the BJP, Congress and AIUDF. However, the result will not change the balance of power in the Lok Sabha.
Polling is scheduled to continue until 5 pm on Tuesday. Election officials are overseeing the process across the constituency, while voters continue to arrive at polling stations to exercise their franchise.
Counting of votes is scheduled for October 9. The final result will determine the next representative of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.