Asam Sahitya Sabha polls: Five candidates confirmed for President post

Guwahati, Nov. 12: Putting all controversy surrounding its presidential election to rest, the Asam Sahitya Sabha, on Tuesday, released a fresh list of candidates vying for the top post.

The five candidates for the presidency of the Asam Sahitya Sabha are Basanta Kumar Goswami, Dr. Gobinda Prasad Sarma, Upen Rabha Hakacham, Bhim Kanta Barua, and Anuradha Sarma Pujari. The final list of candidates was released with the unanimous consent of all writers involved.

The announcement came after a high-level meeting that included key members of the Sabha’s leadership at the Bhagawati Prasad Barua Bhawan in Guwahati.

The meeting, which was chaired by Sahitya Sabha President Surya Kanta Hazarika, also saw the presence of Secretary Upendrajit Sharma, Vice-President Girish Handique, and former Vice-President Mrinalini Devi.

The decision to release the new list follows discussions to ensure transparency and consensus among the Sabha's members.

In addition to the presidential candidates, the Asam Sahitya Sabha also announced its list of candidates for the posts of Vice-President and General Secretary.

Chief Electoral Officer of the Election Committee, Prashant Kumar Deka, revealed the list at a press conference, detailing the nominations for the upcoming election.

For the position of Vice-President for the 2025-27 term, five nominations had been filed, but two—those of Ajay Singh and Narahari Chutiya—were cancelled. Valid nominations include Bipin Chandra Kalita, Sahir Bhuyan, and Padum Rajkhowa.

For the post of Editor-in-Chief, three candidates—Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Ajit Prasad Sharma, and Debojit Borah—have been nominated, and all their nominations have been deemed valid.

The upcoming elections to the Asam Sahitya Sabha’s top posts are set to play a pivotal role in shaping the literary and cultural direction of the organization in the coming years.