GUWAHATI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has nominated former IAS officer Devashish Sharma as its candidate for Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat on Friday.
The October 6 by-poll in the Muslim-majority constituency was declared after the resignation of two-time former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who successfully contested on the BJP’s ticket in the 2026 assembly elections from the Dispur constituency in Guwahati.
Sharma, who served as the deputy commissioner (DC) of Nagaon, took voluntary retirement on September 3 and joined the BJP on September 8.
On September 4, Congress’ Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain had written to Assam’s chief electoral officer, demanding a review of various decisions taken during Sharma’s tenure as the Nagaon DC and appropriate action regarding complaints against him.
The letter followed a series of complaints that Hussain lodged on August 26 and 30, and September 3 and 4.
In his letter, Hussain wrote that during his tenure as DC-cum-district election officer (DEO), Sharma had overseen critical and sensitive aspects of election administration, including EVM management, polling logistics, deployment of personnel, polling station preparedness, and transport arrangements.
“Therefore, reviewing and scrutinising all election-related directives and decisions issued during his tenure is crucial to safeguarding the neutrality and integrity of the impending by-election,” the Dhubri MP had written in his letter.
Recently, Assam Congress President and Jorhat MP, Gaurav Gogoi, also demanded that the Election Commission of India order an independent, time-bound inquiry into Sharma’s tenure as DC-cum-DEO and the alleged financial irregularities.
Sharma is an avid music lover who plays guitar in private as well as in public. During his tenure as the DC of Morigaon, he entertained polling personnel after they had arrived at the strong room with EVMs following voting for the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Apart from the BJP, only the Trinamool Congress has named its Nagaon by-poll candidate, Abdul Salam.