Politics
Ex-Bureaucrat Devasish Sharma to Contest Nagaon Lok Sabha Bypoll for BJP Amid Congress Objections
GUWAHATI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has selected former IAS officer Devasish Sharma as its candidate for the Nagaon Lok Sabha byelection scheduled for October 6, 2026. Sharma, who took voluntary retirement as Nagaon District Commissioner on September 3, joined the BJP on September 8, 2026, a move that has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.
The Nagaon parliamentary seat includes Morigaon district along with five of Nagaon district's seven Assembly segments. The seat became vacant after Pradyut Bordoloi, who had won the constituency in both 2019 and 2024 as a Congress candidate, resigned ahead of the Assembly elections held on April 9, 2026, and switched to the BJP. Bordoloi now represents the party from the Dispur Assembly constituency.
On September 4, 2026, Congress leader and Dhubri MP Rakibul Hussain wrote to the Election Commission of India, demanding an investigation into alleged financial irregularities during Sharma's tenure as District Commissioner. Hussain, who had raised similar complaints between August 28 and September 3, questioned Sharma's political neutrality and whether his duties as Nagaon's District Election Officer had been compromised by his subsequent decision to join a political party.
Assam Congress president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi also criticized the move, stating that Sharma should not have served as District Election Officer if he had already planned to contest as a BJP candidate. Gogoi described the situation as tantamount to fraud.
The BJP has defended the nomination, maintaining that there is nothing improper about a bureaucrat joining the party once the government has approved his voluntary retirement. The government accepted Sharma's retirement request on September 3.
Sharma is known for his musical talents, often playing the guitar and singing at public gatherings. As Morigaon District Commissioner, he entertained polling staff who arrived at the strong room past midnight following the second phase of voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Associates say he frequently performed at both public and private events in Nagaon before his retirement.
His guitar-playing has drawn comparisons to another officer with ties to Nagaon who transitioned into politics. Former IPS officer Anand Mishra, who served as Nagaon's Superintendent of Police until his transfer to Lakhimpur district in 2022, resigned from service in January 2024 and went on to contest the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, winning the Buxar seat for the BJP. Mishra had also been known for sharing videos of himself playing guitar on social media while serving as police chief in Nagaon and Lakhimpur.