Congress Picks Up Anurag Sharma As Surprise Rajya Sabha Nominee From Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Congress President of Kangra district Anurag Sharma has emerged as a surprise choice of the party as the Rajya Sabha candidate from Himachal Pradesh. His name was announced on Thursday, the last day for filling of nominations. There were several names doing the rounds, including that of leaders like Pratibha Singh and Anand Sharma, but the party zeroed in on Anurag.

Born on March 4, 1978, in Baijnath in Kangra district, Anurag got the biggest birthday gift from his party with the announcement of his name. Having been educated in Kangra district, he is seen as a close confidante of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Congress nominees for the Rajya Sabha polls (ETV Bharat)

Anurag began his student political career with the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and has been associated with the Congress Party since 1994, working at the grassroots level. He was appointed State Secretary of the Himachal unit of the NSUI from 1996 to 2001 and served as District Secretary of the Youth Congress from 2002 to 2006. He also served as the General Secretary of the Himachal Youth Congress from 2006 to 2010.

He then worked as the Joint Secretary of the Himachal Congress Committee from 2014 to 2019. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of Himachal Tourism Development Board from 2013 to 2017. He is currently a member of the Vehicle Purchase Committee (VPC) of Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), to which he was appointed in 2023.

Anurag has been in the transport business. A graduate from Baijnath College, he became the Kangra District Congress President just two months ago. His social network is considered strong locally. He is also the President of the Bir Billing Paragliding Association, which organises international paragliding championships.

Sukhu congratulated Anurag on his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections. Anurag comes from a politically active family where his father, Pyare Lal Sharma, was close to former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Virbhadra often stayed at his place when he visited Baijnath. Pyare Lal served as the President of Bir Panchayat six times and the Panchayat Samiti Chairman once.

Anurag is now just one step away from reaching the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. If no other nominations are filed on Thursday, he will be elected unopposed, and if the BJP fields a candidate, the winner will be chosen through polling on March 16. The BJP has not fielded a candidate yet.

There are a total of 68 MLAs in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. The Rajya Sabha election is being held for only one seat. The Congress has a strength of 40 in the house, while the BJP has 28 MLAs. He would need 35 votes to go through.

Anurag is also close to Sudhir Sharma, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dharamshala, who represented the Congress till two years ago. Sudhir was among the six MLAs who had cross-voted in the 2024 Rajya Sabha elections that led to the defeat of the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi at the hands of BJP's Harsh Mahajan through a draw of lots after the contest had ended in a 34-34 tie. Singhvi had approached the Himachal Pradesh High Court, questioning this process. The matter is currently sub-judice.

Those who cross-voted were disqualified by the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker for defying the party whip. They joined the BJP and contested the by-elections as BJP candidates. Four of them lost the by-elections held along with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

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