Shanta Kumar

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Shanta Kumar

| image = Shanta Kumar.jpg

| width =

| caption = Kumar in 2006

| office = 3rd Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh

| term_start = 22 June 1977

| term_end = 14 February 1980

| constituency =

| predecessor = President's Rule

| successor = Thakur Ram Lal

| term_start2 = 5 March 1990

| term_end2 = 15 December 1992

| constituency2 =

| predecessor2 = Virbhadra Singh

| successor2 = Virbhadra Singh

| constituency_MP3 = Kangra

| term_start3 = 16 May 2014

| term_end3 = 23 May 2019

| constituency3 =

| term3 =

| occupation2 =

| predecessor3 = Rajan Sushant

| successor3 = Kishan Kapoor

| office4 = Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

| term_start4 = 13 October 1999

| term_end4 = 30 June 2002

| constituency4 = Kangra

| primeminister4 = Atal Bihari Vajpayee

| predecessor4 =

| successor4 = Sharad Yadav

| office5 = Minister of Rural Development

| term_start5 = 1 July 2002

| term_end5 = 6 April 2003

| constituency5 =

| primeminister5 = Atal Bihari Vajpayee

| predecessor5 = Venkaiah Naidu

| successor5 = Kashiram Rana

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1934|9|12}}

| birth_place = Kangra, Punjab, British India
(now in Himachal Pradesh, India)

| religion =

| spouse = Santosh Shailja

| residence = Yamini Parisar, Palampur, Distt. Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Indian

| party = Bharatiya Jana Sangh(till 1977)

Janata Party(1977-1980)

Bharatiya Janata Party(1980-Present)

| website =

| footnotes =

| date =

| year =

| source =

}}

Shanta Kumar Sharma (born 12 September 1934) is an Indian politician who was the 3rd Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and a Union Minister in the Government of India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Kangra constituency in 1989. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999 and 2014 from the same constituency. He has written a number of books. He is the first and only person not of a Rajput background who has served as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.{{cite web | url=https://theprint.in/report/jai-ram-thakur-himachal-cabinet-rajput-flavour/25190/ | title=Jai Ram Thakur's Himachal cabinet has a distinctly Rajput flavour | date=27 December 2017 }}

Early life

Shanta Kumar Sharma was born to Jagannath Sharma and Kaushalya Devi on 12 September 1934 in Garhjamula, Kangra district, Punjab Province.{{cite web|url=http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13HP03.htm |title=Biographical Sketch: Member of Parliament: 13th Lok Sabha |website=parliamentofindia.nic.in |access-date=2013-02-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130201150852/http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13HP03.htm |archive-date=2013-02-01}}

Political career

His political career began in 1963 when he was elected as a Panch in the Gram panchayat for Garhjamula. He was subsequently elected as a member of the Panchayat Samiti in Bhawarna and then was president of Zilla Parishad in Kangra from 1965 to 1970.{{cite web|url=http://india.gov.in/my-government/indian-parliament/shanta-kumar-shri |title=National Portal of India |publisher=india.gov.in |access-date=2013-02-05}}

He was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1972. He remained a member till 1985. He was re-elected to the House again in 1990 and continued till 1992. He became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in 1977. He held the post till 1980 and came back to head the Government again in 1990 and stayed till 1992.{{cite web |url=http://www.niticentral.com/2012/12/shanta-kumar.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411114545/http://www.niticentral.com/2012/12/shanta-kumar.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-11 |title=Shanta Kumar : Niti Central |publisher=niticentral.com |access-date=2013-02-05 }} He had enforced "No Work, No Pay" policy during his second term as Chief Minister for strongly dealing with the striking government employees. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1985.{{cite web|url=http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/members/former_Biography.aspx?mpsno=418 |title=13th Lok Sabha Member Profile |publisher=Government of India |access-date=2014-06-22}}

He was elected to the 9th Lok Sabha in 1989 from Kangra. He was re-elected twice in 1998 and 1999. He was a senior minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1999 to 2004.{{cite news |last1=Bipin |first1=Bhardwaj |title=After Advani, roads closed for veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar too, party hunts for new face in Himachal |url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/politics/after-advani-roads-closed-for-veteran-bjp-leader-shanta-kumar-too-party-hunts-for-new-face-in-himachal |access-date=24 February 2021 |publisher=National Herald |date=24 March 2019 |language=en}} He was Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution from 1999 to 2002 and Union Minister of Rural Development from 2002 to 2004.

He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh in 2008.[http://164.100.47.5/newmembers/Website/Main.aspx Members Page] In 2014, he was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Kangra.{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.in/himachal-pradesh/parliamentary-constituencies/kangra.html|title=Kangra(Himachal Pradesh) Lok Sabha Election Results 2014 with ...}} In 2014-15 he chaired a committee on the restructuring of the Food Corporation of India (FCI).{{Cite web|date=22 January 2015|others=Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution|title=Recommendations of High Level Committee on restructuring of FCI|url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=114860|access-date=2021-11-25|website=Press Information Bureau, Government of India}}

Personal background

He was married to Santosh Shailja in 1964.{{cite news |title=Former Himachal Pradesh CM Shanta Kumar's Wife Dies of Covid |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-former-himachal-pradesh-cm-shanta-kumars-wife-dies-of-covid/368751 |access-date=24 February 2021 |publisher=Outlook |date=29 December 2020}} He has three daughters Indu Sharma, Renu Mujumdar, Shalini Sathyan and a son Vikram Sharma.{{cite news |title=Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar, son admitted to Mohali hospital for Covid-19 treatment |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/senior-bjp-leader-shanta-kumar-son-admitted-to-mohali-hospital-for-covid-19-treatment20201230164944/ |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=ANI News |publisher=ANI |date=30 December 2020 |language=en}} His wife died in December 2020 due to coronavirus at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda.{{cite news |title=Former Union minister Shanta Kumar to undergo Covid treatment at Mohali hospital |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/former-union-minister-shanta-kumar-to-undergo-covid-treatment-at-mohali-hospital/story-WVXYe0GXpGQzee7ASBskgI.html |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Hindustan Times|date=30 December 2020 |language=en}} She worked as teacher in initial years but later quit her job and switched over to writing and social work among women and underprivileged sections and also wrote some books.

Election results

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Bharatiya Janata Party|candidate=Shanta Kumar|votes=4,56,163|percentage=57.05|change=+8.37|}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Indian National Congress|candidate=Chander Kumar|votes=2,86,091|percentage=35.79|change=-9.76|}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=Aam Aadmi Party|candidate=Dr. Rajan Sushant|votes=24,430|percentage=3.06|change=+3.06|}}

{{Election box candidate with party link|party=None of the above|candidate=None of the Above|votes=8,704|percentage=1.09|change=+1.09|}}

{{Election box majority|votes=1,70,072|percentage=21.27|change=+18.13|}}

{{Election box turnout|votes=7,99,445|percentage=64.46|change=+9.31|}}{{Election box hold with party link||winner=Bharatiya Janata Party|loser=Independent (politician)|swing=+8.37}}