Sukh Ram, Former Union Minister, And His Grandson Rejoin Congress, May Contest Lok Sabha Elections 2019
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, Former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram rejoined the Congress on Monday. His grandson Aashray Sharma also joined the party.
New Delhi, March 25: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2019, former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram rejoined the Congress on Monday. His grandson Aashray Sharma also joined the party. Earlier in the day, they met Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Speculations are rife that the Congress may field Aashray from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency. Himachal Pradesh Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Schedule: Constituency-Wise Complete Schedule Of Voting And Results For General Elections.
Sukh Ram and his son Anil Sharma quit the grand old party on the eve of the Assembly elections in 2017. In the assembly elections, Anil had won the Mandi Sadar Assembly seat on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. He became a minister in the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in Himachal Pradesh. Anil was also part of the Cabinet of former CM Virbhadra Singh.
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However, Anil has not resigned from the BJP till now. According to reports, Sukh Ram quit the BJP as the party chose to renominate MP Ram Swaroop Sharma from Mandi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated Pratibha Singh, Virbhadra Singh’s wife. Mandi Lok Sabha Constituency in Himachal Pradesh: Candidates, Current MP, Polling Date And Election Results 2019.
Sukh Ram was accused in the telecom scam when he was a minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government. In the late nineties, he also floated the Himachal Vikas Party and helped PK Dhumal to become CM of the state.
The Lok Sabha election in Himachal Pradesh will take place in the seventh phase on May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won all four seats - Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur and Shimla - in the state. The Congress, which had bagged one seat in 2009, lost it too in 2014.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2019 05:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).