Nagaon bypoll: Sarbananda Sonowal pitches NDA as engine of development, targets Congress

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on September 30 urged voters to support BJP candidate Debashish Sharma in the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll, claiming that only the BJP-led NDA can ensure sustained development in the constituency.

Addressing campaign rallies in Morigaon and Batadrawa, Sonowal accused the Congress, which currently holds the Nagaon seat, of pursuing “divisive politics” and alleged that the opposition party was not focused on the welfare of the electorate.

Sonowal said the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Assam had opened new avenues for development, entrepreneurship and employment.

He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with driving the development agenda at the Centre and in the state respectively.

The Union minister highlighted road and bridge construction, industrial investment and job creation under the Sarma government.

He said Nagaon had earlier been associated with floods, poor connectivity and limited industrial activity, but claimed the region had undergone significant infrastructure development under the NDA.

Sonowal cited the Tata Group's Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor facility at Jagiroad as a major example of the region's ongoing industrial transformation.

Urging voters to elect BJP candidate Debashish Sharma, who resigned as Nagaon district commissioner earlier this month to enter electoral politics, Sonowal said Sharma's experience of working in the district would help him serve the constituency effectively.

The Union minister also criticised the opposition for allegedly abandoning development-related issues and focusing instead on what he described as divisive politics to secure votes.

Calling for social harmony, Sonowal urged people of different faiths to work together and support a political approach centred on welfare and development.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled to be held on October 6, with counting of votes set for October 9.