Ashok Lahiri

Ashok Kumar Lahiri is an Indian economist and politician who is currently serving as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog. He served as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly from Balurghat constituency from 2021 to 2026. Lahiri previously served as a member of the FifteenthFinance Commission, as 12thChief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, reader at the Delhi School of Economics, chairman of Bandhan Bank, executive director at the Asian Development Bank and director of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and had stints with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as a consultant and senior economist respectively. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Education Lahiri is an alumnus of the economics department of the Presidency University, Kolkata. Ashok Lahiri received his early education at Hindu School, Kolkata. He pursued undergraduate studies in economics at Presidency College (now Presidency University), Kolkata, under the University of Calcutta, graduating as an alumnus of its esteemed economics department. Lahiri advanced his academic training at the Delhi School of Economics (DSE), University of Delhi, where he earned a Ph.D. in economics in 1979.This doctoral qualification, obtained from one of India's premier institutions for economic research, laid the foundation for his subsequent roles in economic analysis and policy.

Economist Lahiri has served as Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, chairman of Bandhan Bank, economic adviser in the Ministry of Finance,

Chairman of Bandhan Bank

Member of the FifteenthFinance Commission Dr. Ashok Lahiri addressing a Press Conference as the acting Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission regarding the Agriculture Conference, in Chandigarh on May 03, 2018.

Politics He was declared as a candidate to contest from the Alipurduar constituency in the 2021 West Bengal election but due to animosity among the local BJP members in Alipurduar, his name was later withdrawn from Alipurduar constituency in the list of candidates. He was later declared as a candidate for the Balurghat constituency.

He won against TMC candidate Shekhar Dasgupta by securing 36,143 votes.