Sharma assumes charge of education board Chairman

Dr Rajesh Sharma assumed office as the Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education on Tuesday. His appointment is being viewed in political circles as a significant move of the Congress and part of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s larger strategy to consolidate his political influence in Kangra district.

Sharma had contested the 2022 Assembly elections from Dehra on the Congress ticket but lost to Independent candidate Hoshiyar Singh. While Sharma had secured 19,120 votes, Hoshiyar Singh got 22,997 votes. Hoshiyar Singh, along with two other Independent MLAs, had resigned from the Assembly last year and later joined the BJP, a move that was seen as a failed bid to destabilise the Congress government.

In subsequent byelections, the Congress denied ticket to Sharma from Dehra and instead fielded Chief Minister"s wife Kamlesh Thakur, who won the seat. Since then, Sharma had remained on the sidelines and was reportedly unhappy with the party. His recent appointment as the Chariman of the education baord is seen as a move to appease him and expand the Chief Minister’s political influence in the region.

Kangra district, having 15 of the total 68 Assembly seats, is politically significant. Sukhu has increasingly focused on Kangra and appointed two Cabinet ministers from the district. He has also ensured representation of various communities and power centres on key positions in government boards and corporations.

The political appointments from Kangra include Nardev Kanwar, Chairman of the Workers Welfare Board; Manoj Kumar, Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Wool Federation; Nishu Mongra, Chairman of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC); Ajay Verma, Vice-President of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation; Sanjay Chauhan, Chairman of the Agriculture Development Bank; Vishal Chambiyal, Vice-President of the Industrial Development Corporation; and RS Bali, Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

These appointments reflect a deliberate balancing of caste and regional equations, as leaders from Rajput, Brahmin, Gaddi and OBC communities have been accommodated on key political posts.

Himachal Tribune