BJP Fields Ex-Nagaon Deputy Commissioner Debashis Sarma for Bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party has named Debashis Sarma, a former Deputy Commissioner of Nagaon, as its candidate for the coming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election. The party's Central Election Committee issued a statement approving his nomination for the parliamentary constituency.

Sarma joined the BJP only recently, a move that had set off speculation that he would be fielded in the bypoll. Addressing reporters after the announcement, he thanked the party's senior leadership for the confidence placed in him and for clearing his candidature. He credited Pradyut Bordoloi with encouraging and guiding him towards politics when he first expressed an interest in entering public life, and also thanked state party president Dilip Saikia and the Chief Minister.

Sarma said he intends to carry into politics the same sincerity with which he discharged his official duties, and that he is committed to working for people's welfare. He described unemployment as a pressing concern in the constituency and said he wants to concentrate on opening up opportunities for young people. Today's youth, he noted, are increasingly becoming self-reliant rather than waiting solely for government jobs, taking to business and independent work, and he called them the future of the nation. He added that he plans to build a platform that helps young people pursue opportunities and contribute to society, while acknowledging that he is new to politics and will need guidance from senior party colleagues.

Sarma also said the Nagaon constituency has a range of unresolved issues and that residents have numerous grievances he intends to address. Expressing confidence about his prospects, he said his earlier association with people across communities would stand him in good stead, pointing to his ties with the minority community in Nagaon and what he described as a widespread desire for change.

His candidature has, however, run into a political controversy over the shift from administration to electoral politics. The Congress, which holds the Nagaon seat, has lodged a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India against Sarma. Dhubri Lok Sabha MP and Congress leader Rakibul Hussain approached the ECI seeking an inquiry into complaints concerning Sarma's conduct as Nagaon Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer. In a letter dated September 4, Hussain referred to a series of complaints filed on August 26, August 30, September 3 and September 4 that question Sarma's alleged political neutrality.

The by-election was necessitated by the resignation of two-term Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi, who left the party and joined the BJP ahead of the Assam Assembly elections held in April.