Assam Lok Sabha election 2024: Nagaon gears up for the battle, know key candidates and voter demographics

Nagaon is one of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. It is the second largest city of Assam, India and the largest district of Assam. Nagaon is the headquarters of central Assam division. It is situated 120 km east of state's capital Dispur, Guwahati and 55 km west of Kaziranga National Park.

As of the 2011 India census, 155,889 residents are there in Nagaon District. It is the second most populous district of Assam. Total voters of Nowgong parliament seat as of 2019 Parliament Election is 14,93,624.The population is largely of heterogeneous nature. 

Indigenous Assamese communities along with tribal communities like Karbi, Tiwa (Lalung) are the natives of the city. Assamese is spoken by 70,039 people, Bengali is spoken by 33,978, Hindi is spoken by 15,926 people and 35,946 speak other languages. 

According to the 2011 census, 77.17 per cent of the population speaks Assamese, 16.75 per cent Bengali, and 1.31 per cent speaks Hindi as their first language

The population of Nagaon district based on the 2011 Indian census after separation of the newly carved out Hojai district is 1,892,550. The residual district has a sex ratio of 966 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 156,913 which is 8.29 per cent and 86,422 which is 4.57 per cent respectively.

According to the 2011 Indian Census, the Muslims form a majority in the district with 10,63,538,making 56.20 per cent of the total population, with Hindus accounting for 801,181, followed by 1.15 per cent Christians. Small populations of Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains also reside in the district. Way back in 1971, Hindus were in majority in Nagaon district with 42.6 per cent of the population, while Muslims were 39.2 per cent at that time.

Scheduled for phase 2 on April 24, the electoral landscape of Sonitpur witnesses a 3 way hustle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (AJP) and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

Candidates vying for victory are among BJP candidate Suresh Borah, Congress candidate Pradyut Bordoloi, and AIUDF candidate Aminul Islam.

Comprising 8 assembly segments, it emerges as a crucial battleground for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Jagiroad, Laharighat, Marigaon, Dhing, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Nagaon-Batadrava and Raha are included in the segment. 

The nomination for Nagaon candidates has begun for the second phase of election. Aminul Islam, the AIUDF candidate, filed his nomination papers today. On the other hand the BJP and Congress candidates are yet to file their nominations for the second phase of election for Nagaon constituency. 

In Lok Sabha elections 2019, Pradyut Bordoloi of INC party won with 739724 votes in the Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency. The runner up was Rupak Sharma of BJP party. The margin of victory was 16752 votes.

Over the years, the political landscape of Nagaon was represented by various political parties. Rajen Gohain of BJP won the constituency in 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014. However, the victory of Pradyut Bordoloi of INC in 2019 has shifted the seat held in Nagaon for BJP. 

Rupak Sarmah of BJP is the current MLA of Nowgong (Vidhan Sabha constituency). Pradyut Bordoloi of Indian National Congress is the current MP of Nowgong

As Nagaon readies itself for another electoral showdown, the stakes are high.