In the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll scheduled for October 6, Congress leader Salman Khurshid urged voters to look beyond local infrastructure concerns and focus on broader national issues. The contest follows the resignation of sitting MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who left the Congress to join the BJP and is now an MLA. Khurshid, a former Union minister, held a press conference in Guwahati on October 2 to address the electorate.
Khurshid said that while drinking water, road safety, electricity and healthcare are important, voters must also consider transparency in the Election Commission’s functioning, alleged targeted evictions and police encounters. He cited a recent Indian Express report that the chief election commissioner had made decisions without the knowledge of the two election commissioners, raising questions about the conduct of elections.
The former minister accused the BJP candidate, former district commissioner Devasish Sharma, of using his position to decide citizenship matters for political gain, alleging that bona fide Indian citizens were branded illegal foreigners. He pointed to the Assam Accord’s March 25, 1971 cut‑off date for citizenship and the pending final draft of the National Register of Citizens, noting that identity cards and rejection slips have not yet been issued. Khurshid also highlighted large‑scale evictions carried out on the basis of religious identity and the failure to register displaced voters in new locations.
Khurshid criticised the chief minister for alleged hate speech and warned that police action has resulted in deaths and injuries of accused in custody, citing the Supreme Court’s stance that such incidents cannot occur in a civilized society. He urged voters to give the BJP‑led NDA a decisive reply by supporting Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora. Vote counting will take place on October 9.
