The BJP named former Nagaon district commissioner Debasish Sharma as its candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election on September 11, 2026. The party's Central Election Committee approved his candidature. ANI reported that Sharma had joined the BJP that Tuesday at its Assam headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha, alongside journalists Lenin Saurav Bora and Gunjan Kalita, with state party president Dilip Saikia present.
In an interview with ANI on September 11, Sharma made development the central argument for his candidacy and said his relationship with Nagaon's residents predated the contest. He described his intended approach to voters as that of a family member. He thanked the constituency's MLAs for their guidance and predicted a BJP victory, presenting his own campaign assessment rather than evidence of how the electorate would vote.
The Election Commission's notification dated September 9 records that Pradyut Bordoloi's resignation left the parliamentary seat vacant on March 20. It fixed September 16 as the nomination deadline, September 17 for scrutiny and September 19 for withdrawals. Polling was scheduled for October 6, from 7 am to 5 pm, with the election to be completed before October 11. The formal notice therefore preceded Sharma's selection by two days.
Reporting from Nagaon on September 10, The Sentinel identified returning officer Aranyak Saikia and assistant returning officer Pallavi Gogoi, who was assigned to receive nominations between 11 am and 3 pm. It reported October 9 as the counting date. The district administration had also begun removing unauthorised campaign material in Dhing, Rupohihat, Samaguri, Nagaon-Batadroba and Raha. Senior Superintendent of Police VV Rakesh Reddy said security would be strengthened for the by-election. The newspaper said arrangements for filing papers began on September 9, after the election code took effect.
