Gaurav Gogoi has said voters will reject communal politics as the Congress steps up its campaign for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president made the remarks at an election meeting in Dhing.
Gogoi linked his message to Batadrava, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva. He said the message against communal politics would be sent from the historic religious and cultural centre as the Congress seeks support for its candidate, Sibamoni Bora.
Gaurav Gogoi targets BJP over campaign issues
Gaurav Gogoi criticised the BJP during the Dhing meeting and accused it of using religion in electoral politics. He also referred to the BJP’s public references to Hinduism and made allegations involving the Ram Temple and candidates facing accusations related to cow theft.
These remarks are part of the Congress campaign narrative ahead of the bypoll. The BJP has not been presented in the cited report as accepting Gogoi’s allegations, so they remain political claims rather than established findings.
The Congress has increasingly focused its campaign on what it describes as communal politics and polarisation. Gogoi has used similar themes in earlier political statements, including during the 2026 Assam Assembly election campaign.
Nagaon bypoll campaign gains momentum
The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi left the party and joined the BJP. Bordoloi subsequently won the Dispur Assembly seat, creating the vacancy that led to the by-election.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for October 6, while counting will take place on October 9. The contest has drawn candidates from several political parties, making the bypoll a significant contest in Assam.
The Congress has fielded Sibamoni Bora, a former MLA from Batadrava. The BJP has nominated Devasish Sharma, while the All India United Democratic Front has fielded Badruddin Ajmal. The Trinamool Congress is also among the parties contesting the seat.
According to the latest campaign report, 25 candidates filed nominations for the bypoll. Congress leaders Rakibul Hussain and Wazed Ali Choudhury joined Bora and Gogoi at the Dhing meeting.
Gogoi connects message with Batadrava
Gaurav Gogoi’s decision to invoke Batadrava gives the campaign message a strong cultural context. The area is associated with Srimanta Sankardeva and Assam’s Vaishnavite tradition.
Gogoi said the electoral message against communal politics would come from Batadrava. By placing the statement in that setting, he connected his political argument with a wider appeal for social harmony.
However, voters in the Nagaon constituency will ultimately decide the outcome through the ballot. Political parties are using the campaign period to highlight their own priorities and criticise their opponents.
Congress sharpens its electoral pitch
The latest statement follows a broader effort by the Congress to frame the Nagaon contest around issues of political division, governance and social harmony. Gogoi has previously argued that voters should reject politics based on polarisation.
In March, he told The New Indian Express that Congress was seeking votes on issues including education, administration and communal harmony. He also accused the BJP-led government of relying on polarisation, a claim that reflects the Congress party’s political position.
Earlier, in an interview with Rediff during the Assembly election campaign, Gogoi said the election should be viewed through competing visions of Assam’s future. He stressed that voters would make the final decision.
Nagaon voters set to decide
Gaurav Gogoi’s latest remarks place communal politics at the centre of the Congress campaign in the Nagaon bypoll. The party is seeking to turn the issue into a broader appeal for social harmony while attacking the BJP’s campaign approach.
Meanwhile, the BJP, Congress, AIUDF and other parties are competing for support across the constituency. With polling scheduled for October 6, campaigning is expected to remain active in the coming days.
The result will be declared on October 9. Until then, the competing claims made during the campaign remain part of the electoral debate, while voters will determine the outcome through the bypoll.
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