Who is Rekha Sharma, BJP pick for Rajya Sabha from Haryana

Rekha Sharma, the ruling BJP's pick for Rajya Sabha nomination from Haryana, is an alumnus of DAV College, Dehradun (Uttarakhand).

Sharma, 60, graduated in Political Science, History and English Literature with a Diploma in Marketing and Advertising, Fashion Designing and Higher Diploma in Computers System Management.

In her long career spanning nine years in the National Commission for Women as member and later chairperson, Sharma has particularly concentrated on gender sensitisation of the police personnel, who are the first points of contact for women victims of violence.

She has also worked on the issues of female prisoners.

Sharma, married to an Army officer, earlier served as Member, District Consumer and Redressal Forum with the Government of Haryana.

She was nominated as member of the NCW in August 2015 and was given additional charge as chairperson of the Commission in 2017.

In her nine years at the NCW, Sharma conducted 50 enquiries into issues related to women, particularly desertion of women by NRI husbands.

She resigned from NCW in August this year after nine years at the panel.

At the time of retirement she described her time at the Commission as a roller coaster ride.

"Coming from a humble background to now finishing three terms in the NCW, I think I have walked a long way," she said when retiring.

As NCW chief Sharma was often accused by opposition parties of going soft on crime cases involving BJP ruled states, a charge she vehemently denied.

Most recently she was accused of not doing enough on the issue of violence against women in strife torn Manipur.

In Haryana, Sharma is associated with the NGO ‘Haryana Mahila Utthan Samiti’.