Congress fields Anurag Sharma from Himachal, SC leader Karamvir Singh Baudh from Haryana for RS elections
CHANDIGARH: The Congress has fielded Kangra district party chief Anurag Sharma from Himachal Pradesh and Scheduled Caste leader Karamvir Singh Baudh from Haryana for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for March 16. Today was the last date for filing nominations.Other contenders in the race included former state party chief and ex-MP Pratibha Singh, who was expecting the nomination either for herself or for her son, State PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh. The names of State Health Minister Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil, former ministers Kaul Singh Thakur and Asha Kumari, former Union Minister Anand Sharma, Himachal Pradesh party in-charge Rajani Patil, and party national spokesperson Pawan Khera were also in the fray.
In neighbouring Haryana, the party high command chose Karamvir Singh Baudh, a relatively lesser-known figure in state politics, as its candidate. A Scheduled Caste leader, Baudh had earlier served as secretary
Sources said Sharma, a young face in the party and 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.It is learnt that the grand old party adopted a cautious approach this time. In 2024, despite having a majority in the Assembly with 40 MLAs and the support of three Independent candidates, the Congress candidate and spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost the Rajya Sabha election. BJP’s Harsh Mahajan won the seat due to cross-voting by six rebel Congress MLAs and three Independents. Subsequently, all nine legislators joined the BJP, triggering political turbulence in the stateBaudh is a former employee of the state government employee as he had served for 32 years in the Haryana Civil Secretariat. He had served in the home, vigilance, governance coordination, Industries and commerce, policy implementation besides other departments. Since 1998 he has served as the President of the Confederation of SC/ST/OBCs Haryana. Baudh has a credibility among SC government employees, as he had been advocating for service justice and reservation in promotions aligned with the 85th Constitutional Amendment.