Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency: Candidates for 2019 LS poll, past results, all updates

Nowgong Lok Sabha seat in Assam has been a BJP bastion since 1999. Rajen Gohain had ensured that BJP wins the seat even when the party wasn't very strong organisationally in Assam.

But this time, BJP has dropped Union Minister Rajen Gohain even though he has been acquitted in the rape case, which mired his political career. BJP has nominated a relative greenhorn Rupak Sarmah, who is a businessman by profession. He is up against former Assam Minister Pradyut Bordoloi. Bordoloi is currently Assam Congress Vice President and is hoping to revive the fortunes of the party in Nowgong. Barring once in 1998, Congress last won the seat in 1977. 

There are around 17.90 lakh voters in Nowgong, and around 35% of them are Muslims. AIUDF not contesting in order to stop split of 'secular votes' is likely to help Congress. In the last election, BJP's Gohain won by 1.44 lakh votes over his Congress opponent. AIUDF candidate who came third polled 3.14 lakh votes. So, AIUDF not putting up a candidate may have a significant impact on the final outcome in this seat. 

The Assembly segments under Nowgong are Jagiroad, Marigaon, Laharighat, Raha, Nowgong, Barhampur, Jamunamukh, Hojai, Lumding. 

BJP in its campaign has raised the issue of tacit understanding between AIUDF and Congress. Yogi Adityanath was particularly vocal about it equating it with the alliance Congress has with IUML in Kerala. BJP is hopeful that its development work and Modi factor will be good enough to ensure Sarmah's win. But after a long time, Congress is in with a good chance in the pool of eight candidates contesting from Nowgong. Nowgong goes to polls on Thursday, April, 18.