Anand Sharma, a top leader in the party, resigned on Sunday from his position as chairman of the party's steering committee for the state, dealing a severe blow to the Congress ahead of the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. Anand Sharma reportedly quit his job and wrote Sonia Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, claiming his self-respect is "non-negotiable."
A few days ago, Ghulam Nabi Azad, another member of the G23 grouping, a collection of senior party figures pushing for collective leadership in the party, announced his resignation as the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir campaign committee. This resignation comes shortly after that of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Sharma had complained about being ignored during the consultation process to the Congress leader. He told Gandhi that he would nonetheless continue to support the party's candidates in the state. Sharma has served in the lower house and held a number of significant positions within the party since earning a Rajya Sabha ticket from the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984 after initially standing in assembly elections in 1982.
The Congress' second-in-command in the Rajya Sabha, a former federal minister, was appointed chairman of the steering committee for Himachal Pradesh on April 26. Well-known members of the G23 group, which has criticised the conduct of the party leadership, include Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The Congress' second-in-command in the Rajya Sabha, a former federal minister, was appointed chairman of the steering committee for Himachal Pradesh on April 26. Well-known members of the G23 group, which has criticised the conduct of the party leadership, include Anand Sharma and Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Sharma, one of the tallest politicians in Himachal Pradesh, is said to have written to the Congress president to express how not being invited to any party gatherings or receiving any input had hurt his self-respect. The Congress is aiming to unseat the BJP in Himachal Pradesh in the upcoming assembly elections, which are anticipated to take place later this year.
Himachal Pradesh will hold legislative elections later this year, and the Congress is vying to topple the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The upcoming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand present an opportunity for the Congress, which currently only controls the states of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, to make gains.