Himachal Pradesh University VC Sikander Kumar BJP nominee for Rajya Sabha

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 19

Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Vice Chancellor Sikander Kumar will be the BJP candidate for the lone vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal, the election necessitated as Congress MP Anand Sharma completes his term on April 2. With the BJP having 43 MLAs in the 68-member Vidhan Sabha, Kumar’s election is a foregone conclusion. The Opposition Congress is unlikely to field its candidate. The selection, however, has come as a surprise as a few senior BJP leaders were lobbying for the seat.

Hailing from Hamirpur district, Kumar headed the Himachal chapter of the BJP SC Morcha when President Ram Nath Kovind was its national chief. He is second from the SC community to represent Himachal in the RS. Congress MP Roshan Lal from Solan was elected thrice in 1970, 1976 and 1982.

There are three RS seats from Himachal, the other two occupied by BJP leaders JP Nadda and Indu Goswami. A professor of Economics, Kumar was appointed the VC on August 3, 2018, and given one-year extension last year. He held additional charge of the VC of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Cluster University, Mandi, from November 16, 2018, to March 5, 2019, and Atal Medical and Research University, Mandi, from August 3, 2018 to November 4, 2019. —

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