Who is Ashok Lahiri, BJP’s contestant from West Bengal’s Alipurduar assembly

Ashok Lahiri, who has served as the Chief Economic Adviser to the central government, has been fielded from the West Bengal’s Alipurduar assembly constituency on BJP’s ticket against TMC’s Sourav Chakraborty. Lahiri retired as Executive Director of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Manila on June 30, 2013, and has also served as Senior Economist of the International Monetary Fund. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contestant for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, Lahiri has also served as Reader in the Delhi School of Economics and Director in the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. 

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Currently serving as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Indian Statistical Institute, Lahiri was a member or chairman of various committees appointed by the central government, including as a member of Fiscal Responsibility Legislation (2000). The economist was also the Dean of the ADB Board during 2012-13 and was the Chairman of Bandhan Bank during 2015-2018.

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Lahiri was a member of the 15th Finance Commission, which deals with vertical and horizontal devolution of funds between the Centre and the States, from December 2017 to December 2020.

Apart from economics, he has published several books and articles on electoral behaviour in India and election analysis is Lahiri’s hobby.