CHANDIGARH: Congress leader and president of the Kangra District Congress Committee, Anurag Sharma, has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh.
The election became uncontested after the Bharatiya Janata Party decided not to field any candidate for the seat. Subsequently, Sharma was declared elected without the need for voting.
Anurag Sharma, a young face in the party, considered close to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, hails from the Baijnath Assembly constituency in Kangra district.
He is also the president of the Billing Paragliding Association and was appointed the Kangra district party chief in January this year.
Sharma began his political career with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) in 1995.
Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur claimed that questions are being raised about the Congress Rajya Sabha candidate Anurag Sharma.
"Anurag is touted as an ordinary Congress worker, but, as per his election affidavit, he has assets of over Rs 23 crore. Though it is the internal matter of the Congress to decide its Rajya Sabha candidate, interestingly, Congress leaders are themselves raising questions on Sharma’s candidature,” he alleged.
Thakur said there was intense lobbying by a few senior Congress leaders to get a Rajya Sabha nomination, and one leader even came to Shimla in anticipation.
"Sukhu kept assuring all contenders that he would support them, but he misled his own friends. One of them had even completed all formalities for filing nomination,” he claimed.
He further alleged that it is CM Sukhu’s coterie of friends who are calling the shots and taking all important decisions, and asserted that the entire state cabinet is rooted in corruption.
He also noted that the State has been put on ‘sale’ as HP Tourism Development Corporation hotels are being given out on lease.