NAGAON, Sept 16: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Devasish Sharma on Wednesday filed his nomination papers for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election in Assam, scheduled for October 6.
Sharma, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, took voluntary retirement before entering electoral politics. He resigned as Nagaon Deputy Commissioner on September 3 and subsequently joined the BJP.
A 2011-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, Sharma became Nagaon Deputy Commissioner in June 2025. He had earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of neighbouring Morigaon district, which also falls under the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.
His candidature has drawn scrutiny from the Congress. Congress MP Rakibul Hussain has approached the Election Commission seeking a review of poll-related actions taken by Sharma during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer.
The Congress raised concerns over Sharma’s role in election-related responsibilities, including electronic voting machines, polling arrangements, staff deployment and implementation of Election Commission directives.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the party and joined the BJP. Bordoloi later contested and won the Assam Assembly election from Dispur, necessitating the by-election.
