Nagaon Lok Sabha byelection: Dried fish follows biryani in campaign
Political candidates in the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election are using food habits, specifically dried fish and biryani, as tools for cultural and class-based rhetoric. The discourse reflects deeper tensions regarding regional identity and political alliances in Assam.
Why it matters
The use of food as a political slur illustrates the role of identity politics and cultural polarization in Indian electoral campaigns.
Sun- or smoke-dried fish is a delicacy in Assam. It can also be divisive at times, used for body-shaming or as a classist or racist slur against certain food cultures.
In the electoral battle for the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat, dried fish has followed biryani and biscuits to target candidates and key campaigners.
The by-election to the Muslim-dominated constituency is scheduled for October 6. Pradyut Bordoloi won the seat for the second successive term in 2024, but quit Congress to contest and win the Dispur Assembly constituency as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate in April 2026, necessitating the by-poll.
During one of his campaigns, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Mohammed Badruddin Ajmal referred to Congress MP Rakibul Hussain as a “madman”. He also said the MP was “born eating dried fish, not biryani”, a veiled reference that he is more Bengali than Assamese.
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