Anand Sharma vacates post of delegate

His decision to reject his election could have been triggered by the pressures mounting on him due to the split among his loyalists in the Shimla Urban unit over the election of the unit president.

Sharma was recently elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan for six years,after his term from Himachal ended. His return to Himachal politics as a PCC delegate had put the party in an embarrassing position,according to observers.

State Congress spokesperson Kuldeep Rathaur said: “Though the party constitution does not draw any clear lines,it has been a long observed tradition of the party that a leader elected from one state can be a PCC delegate of that state only and does not accept a similar post elsewhere.” He added: “Anand Sharma has conveyed that he will not accept the post of delegate and has expressed that the post should go to someone else.”

His election along with that of Shimla Urban unit president had split his supporters,leaving one of his close aides and former Shimla MLA Harbhajan Singh Bhajji nursing a heartburn. A few members of the Sharma faction had ganged up with Virbhadra Singh’s supporters and elected Pradeep Singh as Shimla Urban president,whereas Bhajji’s choice was sitting president Anil Kaushal.

Bhajji had minced no words within the party circles to convey his dissent over the development. He was,however,not opposition to the election of Anand Sharma as a PCC delegate,who votes for the election of state PCC president.

According to sources,after hints from Sharma,the Shimla Urban unit is now coming to a consensus to choose Bhajji or someone of his choice as its president,in order to keep the flock together.

Anand Sharma holds primary membership of the Congress party from Himachal Pradesh and is also a member of the AICC by virtue of his post as a Union minister.