Former IAS officer Devashish Sharma 
Assam

BJP fields ex-IAS officer Devashish Sharma for Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll

Sharma, who served as Nagaon DC, took voluntary retirement before joining the BJP, amid Congress demands to scrutinise election decisions taken during his tenure.

Prasanta Mazumdar

GUWAHATI: The BJP on Friday nominated former IAS officer Devashish Sharma as its candidate for the October 6 bypoll to Assam’s Nagaon Lok Sabha seat. The bypoll in the Muslim-majority constituency has been necessitated by the resignation of two-time former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi. Bordoloi had successfully contested the 2026 Assembly elections from the Dispur constituency in Guwahati on the BJP’s ticket.

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 CEO. 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. “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 bye-election,” the Dhubri MP had written in his letter.

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