Congress relies on majority; 11 Kangra MLAs to ensure Anand Sharma’s victory

Tribune News Service

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, May 2

With Congress fielding former Union Minister Anand Sharma from Kangra, the fight for Lok Sabha elections has become high profile. Now the former union minister would take on BJP’s Rajiv Bhardwaj from Kangra parliamentary constituency.

Fighting poll after four decades

• Anand Sharma will fight a direct election after about four decades.
• He contested direct election only once in 1982 from Shimla Assembly constituency in which he was defeated by BJP candidate Daulat Ram Chauhan by a slender margin of 200 votes.
• Anand Sharma will have to counter the Modi wave which the BJP was riding on. In the previous parliamentary polls in 2019, the BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor had won with a margin of 4.70 lakh votes, which was the second highest in the country.

The sources said that the Congress leaders persuaded Anand Sharma to contest election on the plea that party had 11 out 16 MLAs in Kangra parliamentary constituencies. These include 9 MLAs in Kangra district and 2 MLAs in Chamba district. The BJP has 5 MLAs in this constituency, 3 in Kangra district and 2 in Chamba district.

Out 11 Congress MLAs in Kangra parliamentary constituency, 9 enjoy Cabinet rank. These include two Cabinet ministers, one Speaker of Himachal Assembly, chairmen of corporations, chief whip of party in Himachal assembly and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries. The party would exert pressure on its MLAs to ensure win in their own Assembly constituencies which may pave the way for Anand Sharma’s victory.

However, Anand Sharma comes with a tag of an outsider in Kangra which the BJP will try to capitalise on. Anand Sharma was born and studied in Shimla. He has no connection with Kangra or its electorate. Congress spokesperson from Kangra parliamentary constituency Sanjeev Gandhi, while addressing a press conference here, said that as a Union Minister for Industry and Commerce Anand Sharma announced various projects for Kangra. He said it was a matter of pride for Kangra that such a senior leader of party would be contesting from the constituency.

However, Anand Sharma would have to counter the Modi wave which the BJP is riding on. In previous parliamentary polls in 2019, the BJP candidate Kishan Kapoor had won with a margin of 4.70 lakh votes, which was second highest margin in the country. The BJP is once again banking on Modi charisma to win Kangra parliamentary constituency. However, to over the 4.70 lakh lead that party got in 2019 parliamentary poll, would be challenge even for a leader with stature of Anand Sharma.

Anand Sharma will fight an election after about four decades. He contested direct election only once in 1982 from the Shimla Assembly constituency when he was defeated by BJP candidate Daulat Ram Chauhan by a slender margin of 200 votes. Anand Sharma had challenged the election in High Court which set aside the elections. However, Anand Sharma did not re-contest the elections as by that time he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He remained a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha many times. He was also a union minister.

Sources here said that Anand Sharma has been persuaded to contest elections from Kangra parliamentary constituency by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu as the Chief Minister is considered close of Anand Sharma.

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