Anil Sharma, Ashray Sharma leave everyone guessing

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 9

Amid speculation that Ashray Sharma, grandson of Sukh Ram, could again return to the BJP fold, there is uncertainty on the role of the family, including Anil Sharma, BJP MLA from Mandi (Sadar).

Peeved at being denied the ticket, Ashray, who was the Congress nominee in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, has maintained a distance from the campaign so far. His father and BJP MLA Anil Sharma too has stayed away from campaigning for the BJP candidate though he had met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur last week.

During the 2019 parliamentary poll, Sukh Ram had met Virbhadra Singh in Delhi to plead him to campaign for his grandson. Now, it remains to be seen whether he will reciprocate the gesture in case Pratibha Singh, Congress candidate or her son Vikramaditya Singh, asks him to campaign. It is no secret that Virbhadra and Sukh Ram remained arch rivals.

However, speculation about Ashray being in touch with BJP leaders, including the Chief Minister, is rife.

“Anil Sharma met me and I told him to campaign for the party as he is still a BJP MLA without any commitment from our side” said Thakur responding to a question on his meeting with the Mandi (Sadar) MLA.

Political analysts are keenly watching the stance that Ashray and his MLA father will adopt as both are in separate parties. Sukh Ram has won the Mandi seat thrice in 1984, 1991 and 1996.

Ashray was initially in the Congress but later joined the BJP on being denied the Lok Sabha ticket from Mandi in 2019.

He struck a deal with the Congress and was fielded by the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, which eventually resulted in his father losing his ministerial berth in the Jai Ram Cabinet.

Ashray had lost to the BJP’s Ram Swaroop by a record margin of almost four lakhs in the 2019 parliamentary poll.

Uncertainty over their role

• Ashray, the Congress nominee in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, has maintained a distance from the campaign
• His father and BJP MLA Anil Sharma too has stayed away from campaigning for the BJP candidate though he had met Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur last week
• Political analysts are keenly watching the stance that Ashray and his MLA father will adopt