GUWAHATI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday officially announced the schedule for the upcoming by-election to the Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency in Assam. According to the announcement, voting across the constituency will take place on October 6, 2026, while the counting of votes is scheduled for October 9.

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force with immediate effect in the districts covered under the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency following the announcement.

As per the official timeline published by the polling panel, the formal gazette notification for the bye-election will be issued on September 9. The last date for filing nomination papers has been set for September 16, with scrutiny of nomination documents taking place on September 17. Candidates wishing to withdraw their nominations can do so until September 19. The poll body stated that the entire election process will be concluded before October 11.

The vacancy in the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat was created after sitting Member of Parliament Pradyut Bordoloi, who won the seat on a Congress ticket, resigned from his parliamentary position to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. Bordoloi subsequently contested and won a seat in the Assam Legislative Assembly from the Dispur constituency.

Reacting to the poll announcement, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma acknowledged the electoral challenges in the seat, stating that the constituency has not historically been a strong area for the BJP. Addressing reporters, Sarma highlighted that the party lost the Nagaon seat in the last general election by a margin of nearly 2.5 lakh to 2.9 lakh votes.

"The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat is not traditionally in our favour. In the previous elections, the BJP managed to lead in four Assembly segments—Nagaon, Jagiroad, Morigaon, and Raha—while opposition candidates led in the remaining four segments of Samaguri, Dhing, Rupahihat, and Lahorighat," Chief Minister Sarma noted. He added that the party's strategy will focus on retaining its hold in the four favourable segments while working to increase its vote share in the remaining four.

Simultaneously, state BJP President Dilip Saikia confirmed that party leadership has initiated strategic planning and grassroots mobilization across all eight assembly segments, 25 Mandals, and over 2,300 polling booths falling under the parliamentary seat.

The Election Commission confirmed that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) will be deployed at all polling stations throughout the constituency to ensure smooth voting operations.