Anand Sharma quits Himachal Congress post

Senior Congress leader and former union minister Anand Sharma on Sunday resigned as chief of the "steering committee" of the party's Himachal Pradesh unit, days after a similar move in Jammu and Kashmir, led by veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad. In a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi ahead of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, Sharma said that he felt left out of the party's decisions ahead of the polls and that his self-respect is "non-negotiable". Sharma told Sonia Gandhi that he had been ignored in the consultation process. However, he told her that he would continue to campaign for the party candidates in the state.He was appointed as chairman of the Steering Committee in Himachal Pradesh on April 26.

I have resigned with a heavy heart from the Chairmanship of the Steering Committee of the Congress for the Himachal Elections. Reiterating that I am a lifelong congressman and remain firm on my convictions. 1/2

— Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) August 21, 2022

Sharma, who first contested assembly elections in 1982 and was given a Rajya Sabha ticket by then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, has been a Rajya Sabha member ever since and has occupied several key positions in the party. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh in assembly polls slated later this year.