Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Jorhat Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi wants the Election Commission of India to step into the Nagaon Lok Sabha bye-election. He flagged the sudden resignation of Nagaon District Commissioner Devasish Sharma. Sharma allegedly plans to run for office on a BJP ticket. This looks bad.
Gogoi took to social media to call out the conflict of interest. Sharma served as the District Election Officer for months while handling sensitive electoral data. His past decisions could tilt the scales in the upcoming vote. The MP claims this behavior destroys faith in the process.
The Congress leader pointed to more than just political favoritism. He alleged major irregularities with 15th Finance Commission funds at the Gram Panchayat level. He claims local administration exerted undue influence over how that money was spent. Now, he wants answers. "Any inaction by the Election Commission could undermine public confidence in the electoral process," Gogoi wrote.
Gogoi demanded an independent, time-bound probe into both the financial mismanagement and Sharma’s tenure as the top election official. No independent findings confirm these claims yet, but the MP insists the ECI must act fast to save the integrity of the election.
Updated at 4th September 2026 at 10:00pm
Congress MP Rakibul Hussain has intensified the party's offensive, formally writing to the ECI to demand a freeze on Sharma's resignation. Hussain wants the Commission to block the move until a full review of Sharma's tenure as District Commissioner and District Election Officer is complete. His letter follows an initial communication sent to the poll body on August 30.
The BJP pushed back against the accusations. Party spokesperson Kamal Medhi clarified that Sharma has not officially joined the party and noted that any potential candidacy would follow their internal, established procedures. Medhi dismissed the controversy, framing the situation as a standard case of a former bureaucrat expressing interest in political life.
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