GUWAHATI: Former Director General of Assam Police and an acclaimed litterateur, Kuladhar Saikia will be the next president of Asam Sahitya Sabha (ASS), a most popular and revered organisation of litterateurs in Assam. He has been elected for the term 2020-22.
Saikia retired from the Indian Police Service (IPS) as the DG of Assam Police on November 30, 2019 after service Assam Police organisation for over three decades in an outstanding way.
Of the 619 votes considered, Saikia, a Sahitya Akademi award winner, bagged 269 votes. Saikia will take over the reins from the incumbent ASS president Dr Paramananda Rajbangshi.
Total of 634 votes were cast in the entire process out of which 15 votes were rejected on technical ground. The counting process was undertaken under CCTV surveillance to the satisfaction of all concerned.
As many as seven candidates, including Dr Joyshree Goswami Mahanta and Surya Hazarika, were in the fray for the post of the president. The new president will take charge at the biennial session of the Sabha to be held at Sualkuchi.
Writer Mrinalini Devi was elected as the vice president of the literary body after she bagged 308 votes leaving behind Padumi Gogoi, Dr Basanta Kumar Sarma and Rati Mohan Nath in the race.
Jadav Sarma bagged 323 votes to be the next secretary of the Sabha. Sarma outraced Debojit Bora and Harendra Kalita.
On being elected as the President of the ASS, Saikia said he had been humbled by the support extended to him and said that it would be a huge responsibility shoulder given the towering stature of ASS in Assam.
