‘Congress also fields former government officials’: Himanta hits back over Debashish Sharma row

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 11 hit back at the Congress over its criticism of former government official Debashish Sharma entering electoral politics, saying the opposition party itself has a history of government officials taking voluntary retirement or leaving service to contest elections.

Responding to the Congress allegations against Sharma, Sarma said the party had also fielded people who previously held government positions.

“Congress also gets government officials relieved from their posts and makes them contest elections,” Sarma said, adding that there were several such examples within the Congress.

The Chief Minister was responding to criticism surrounding Sharma, who recently entered active BJP politics after serving as a government official.

‘Nagaon is not a traditional BJP seat’

Sarma also acknowledged the electoral challenge facing the BJP in the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, saying the seat was not traditionally a BJP stronghold.

“Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency is not a traditional constituency of the BJP,” he said.

However, Sarma claimed that the party had received an “unprecedented response” from minority voters in the constituency in recent days.

“In the last few days, minority people in the Lok Sabha constituency have given an unprecedented response to the BJP,” the Chief Minister said.

Sarma said the BJP would fight the Nagaon contest strongly and seek to make further inroads into the constituency.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll is shaping up as a significant political contest in Assam, with the BJP seeking to expand its support base in a constituency where the party has not traditionally enjoyed an electoral advantage.

The Chief Minister's remarks come amid an increasingly sharp political exchange between the BJP and Congress over the upcoming contest, including the BJP's choice of candidate and its efforts to attract support among minority voters.