3 min readShimlaMar 5, 2026 01:19 PM IST
In a surprise move, the Congress on Thursday declared Kangra District Congress Committee (DCC) president Anurag Sharma as its candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh.
Sharma, 47, who is also the president of the Bir-Billing Paragliding Association, will file his nomination on Thursday, in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and all Congress MLAs.
In the 68-member Himachal Vidhan Sabha, the Congress has a majority with 40 members. The main Opposition party, the BJP, has 28 members. The BJP, however, is yet to declare its candidate and is likely not to field anyone.
“Last evening, I received a call from the AICC office telling me that I could be the most probable candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat. The AICC official told me to get my nomination papers ready,” Sharma told The Indian Express. Asked if he expected this, Sharma said, “Who doesn’t expect a chance to serve the party on the national level?”
Sharma, a resident of Bir near Baijnath in Kangra district, said, “My family has been loyal to the Congress party for the last three generations.”
Currently serving as the president of the Kangra District Congress Committee, Sharma is considered an active party worker who has held several organisational positions in the past. His selection as the party candidate has generated enthusiasm among Congress workers, particularly in the Kangra region.
Several Congress leaders’ names were in the rounds for the Rajya Sabha seat, including senior Congress leader and former Union minister Anand Sharma; the wife of six-time former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and former Himachal Congress chief, Pratibha Singh; current Himachal Health Minister Col (Dr) Dhani Ram Shandil, among others.
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As per the schedule issued by the Election Commission of India on February 19, the last date for filing nominations for the Rajya Sabha elections is March 5. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 9. Voting will take place on March 16, with counting of votes commencing at 5 pm the same day.
Besides Indu Bala Goswami, the state is represented in the Upper House by Sikander Kumar and Harsh Mahajan. Sikander Kumar’s tenure is scheduled to conclude on April 2, 2028, while Harsh Mahajan’s term will continue until April 2, 2030.
The last Rajya Sabha election in the state, held in 2024, had drawn significant political attention. Cross-voting by Congress MLAs had resulted in the defeat of Congress nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The BJP’s Harsh Mahajan emerged victorious in that contest.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd