Assam: Former IAS officer Debashish Sarma named BJP candidate for Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll

Guwahati/New Delhi: The BJP on Friday named former IAS officer Debashish Sharma as its candidate for the bypoll to Nagaon Lok Sabha seat in Assam.

Sharma took voluntary retirement from service on September 3 while serving as the Nagaon District Commissioner.

He joined the BJP on September 8 and was given the party's ticket two days later to contest the seat.


The by-election will be held on October 6, while counting of votes will take place on October 9.

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The Nagaon seat was vacated by Pradyut Bordoloi, who had won the constituency on a Congress ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

He later joined the BJP and won from Dispur in the recent Assembly polls.

Congress MP Rakibul Hussain had last week filed a complaint with the Assam Chief Electoral Officer seeking a review of various decisions taken during Sharma's tenure as Nagaon District Commissioner and demanding appropriate action against him.

The Chief Electoral Officer's office forwarded the complaint to the Election Commission for necessary action and instructions.

An English literature graduate and a postgraduate in public relations, Sharma joined the Assam Civil Services in 1992 and was first posted in Barpeta.

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He served as Special Officer to the then Assam Governor, Lt Gen S K Sinha, and as Deputy Resident Commissioner of the Assam Bhawan in Mumbai, where he represented the state government in Maharashtra.

Sharma also served as Commissioner of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation and District Commissioner of Morigaon before being transferred to Nagaon, from where he took voluntary retirement.

Sharma is the founding chairman and trustee of the cancer care organisation 'Deepshikha'.