Shimla:BJP leader and former Himachal Pradesh University Vice Chancellor Sikander Kumar on Monday filed his Rajya Sabha nomination in the state legislative assembly. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Speaker Vipin Parmar, Deputy Speaker Hans Raj, BJP state president Suresh Kashyap too were present during the nomination filing process.
Thakur, while talking to the media, said that Kumar had not asked to be sent to RS, and that it was entirely the party's decision. "Dr Sikander Kumar hails from a very ordinary background, and has reached this point through struggle. He is from the Scheduled Caste category, and has done significant work for this class", the CM stated.
"Recently, one Rajya Sabha seat from Himachal Pradesh got vacated. The nomination of Sikander Kumar is a step to fill that up", Thakur explained, referring Congress MP Anand Sharma's term nearing completion on April 2. Kumar himself, meanwhile, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others for his shot at the Rajya Sabha elections. "I would like to thank the BJP's central leadership, PM Narendra Modi, national president JP Nadda, state BJP president Suresh Kashyap, and all Himachal Pradesh BJP leaders for this opportunity", he said.
The new BJP candidate, from Himachal's Hamirpur district, was a Professor of Economics, later on being appointed as Himachal Pradesh University VC on August 3, 2018. He also got a one-year extension in 2021. BJP already has 43 seats in the 68-member assembly, followed by Congress' 22, Independents having 2, and CPI(M)'s 1 MLA in the state, making Kumar's Rajya Sabha confirmation all but certain.
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