Introduction: Early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) remains a major cause for neonatal mortality and morbidity.To reduce neonatal mortality due to neonatal sepsis, preventive strategies are better than therapeutic measures. AIM:To identify maternal and foetal risk factors associated with early onset neonatal bacterial sepsis (EONS), in babies born in a rural teaching hospital. Methodology –During the study period, using simple random sampling method, total 204 neonates were selected. Of them, only 172 mothers of neonates (134 controls, 38 EONS cases) gave written informed consent.