Anurag Sharma files nomination as Congress candidate for RS poll from Himachal

Shimla: Kangra District Congress Committee president Anurag Sharma (48) on Thursday filed his nomination papers for the March 16 Rajya Sabha election at the Himachal Pradesh legislative assembly secretariat in the presence of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, state Congress president Vinay Kumar, cabinet ministers and other party leaders. The opposition BJP chose not to field its candidate this time. Reeling from the 2024 Rajya Sabha election setback, the Congress this time took a cautious route by nominating a candidate from the hill state, avoiding the internal dissent that cost them the previous election despite having 40 seats in the 68-member legislative assembly. Sharma, who is in the transport business and comes from the Bir panchayat in Baijnath assembly constituency of Kangra district, is considered close to the chief minister. He is also the current president of the Billing Paragliding Association, which organises the Paragliding World Cup.Sharma, while addressing the media, expressed confidence that all 15 Assembly seats in Kangra district would be won by the Congress in the 2027 legislative assembly elections to achieve the chief minister's vision of "Mission Repeat". He also stated that the party would soon announce its district and block committees in Kangra. Sharma said he would strongly raise in Parliament the issue of the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG) to Himachal Pradesh, the changes made to the structure of the MGNREGA scheme, and the demand for the BJP-led NDA govt to release a white paper on jobs provided to youth.
Sharma, who started his political career as a member of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, during his college days in 1994, was appointed president of the Kangra District Congress Committee in January this year. Earlier, he served in various positions in the Youth Congress and also as joint secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee from 2014 to 2019. Sharma comes from a staunch Congress family, and his father, Pyare Lal, served multiple terms as pradhan of Bir panchayat. Kangra district is considered politically significant in Himachal Pradesh as it accounts for 15 of the state's 68 Assembly constituencies, making it the most populous district in the hill state. This lone Rajya Sabha seat is being vacated by BJP leader Indu Bala Goswami, also from Baijnath assembly constituency, on April 8. At present, all three Rajya Sabha seats from the state are held by BJP members. Congress holds a clear majority in the state legislative assembly with 40 of 68 seats, compared to BJP's 28. Cautious Approach The party's cautious approach followed a setback in the Feb 2024 Rajya Sabha polls, when Congress's candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost despite holding 40 Assembly seats and support from three independents. Cross-voting by six rebel Congress MLAs and three independents led to BJP's Harsh Mahajan winning the seat, after which all nine legislators joined BJP, causing political turbulence in the state. Several other names were considered before finalising Sharma. Central leaders in contention included Himachal Pradesh party in-charge Rajani Patil and party national spokesperson Pawan Khera. Among state leaders under consideration were health minister Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil (retd.), former state party president Pratibha Singh, and former ministers Kaul Singh Thakur and Asha Kumari. Names of the advisers to chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu—Sunil Bittu (political), Gokul Butail (IT), and Naresh Chauhan (media)—were also discussed. ‘A Genuine Party Worker'Chief minister Sukhu said that senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's thinking was that the candidate should be a genuine party worker—someone who was connected with the party, not someone who already held govt positions or offices given by the party. Choosing a local party worker from Himachal fulfils public sentiment and will inspire party workers to believe that dedication and long-term service can lead to higher responsibilities within the Congress, he added. Sukhu stated that this time, the Congress did not have any fear, as those party leaders who did not have integrity were already "sold" in the previous legislative assembly bypoll. MSID:: 129085785 413 |