Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved Bora’s candidature for the bypoll to the 9-Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency, the party said in a statement on Monday. “The Congress President, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, has approved the candidature of Smt.

Sibamoni Bora, Ex-MLA, as party candidate to contest the ensuing byelection to the Lok Sabha from 9 - Nagaon Parliamentary Constituency of Assam,” the statement said. With September 16 the deadline for filing nominations, the announcement came a day after Congress Assam in-charge and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel held a marathon meeting with the party’s Assam unit at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati.

After the day-long meeting, Baghel said winning the Nagaon bypoll is a “matter of prestige” for the Congress. With Bora’s nomination, the bypoll has shaped up as a four-cornered contest involving the Congress, BJP, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Trinamool Congress (TMC).

AIUDF was the first party to announce its candidate, naming Rejaul Karim Sarkar on August 13. Although reports later emerged that party supremo Badruddin Ajmal could replace Sarkar, the party eventually retained Sarkar as its candidate.

The TMC entered the contest a day after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule, naming Dhing College vice-principal Prof Abdul Salam as its candidate. The BJP has fielded former Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Devashish Sharma.

With all four major contenders now in the fray, the Nagaon bypoll has taken shape as a closely watched contest ahead of the September 16 nomination deadline.