Venod Sharma
{{Short description|Indian politician (born 1948)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Venod Sharma
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| office2 = Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)
| term_start2 = 10 April 1992
| term_end2 = 9 April 1998
| office3 = Member of Legislative Assembly of Haryana
| term_start3 = 2005
| term_end3 = 2009
| term_start4 = 2009
| term_end4 = 2014
| office = Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly
| term_start1 = 1980
| term_end1 = 1985
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1948|1|10}}
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| nationality = Indian
| party = Haryana Jan Chetna Party
| otherparty = Indian National Congress
| spouse = Shakti Rani Sharma
| children = Manu Sharma
Shubham Sharma
Kartikeya Sharma
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| occupation = Politician
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| website = {{Officialsite|http://www.venodsharma.com}}
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Venod Sharma (born 10 January 1948) is an Indian politician, father of Manu Sharma and the founder of the Jan Chetna Party. He was a student leader and associated with INC student outfit NSUI. His wife is a BJP MLA at present. He made it into the political mainstream when he was elected as MLA from Banur in the 1980 Punjab assembly election. In the next assembly elections he lost to Kanwaljit Singh. He was formerly a member of the Indian National Congress, which he represented as a Member of Legislative Assembly (1980) from Banur, Punjab then Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (1992–1998) and as a Member of Legislative Assembly (2005–2014) from Ambala City, Haryana.
Sharma was associated with the Indian National Congress (INC) for 40 years.{{cite web|title=List of Former Members of Rajya Sabha (Term Wise)|url=http://164.100.47.5/Newmembers/mpterms.aspx|access-date=7 August 2014}}
In 1999, he resigned from the Indian National Congress during 1999 Indian general election after his son Manu Sharma was accused in the Jessica Lal murder case and he allegedly tried to bribe a witness.{{cite news|author1=Dinker Vashisht|title=Venod Sharma: The man who could have been CM|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/venod-sharma-the-man-who-could-have-been-cm/417007/|access-date=14 June 2016|work=Indian Express|date=20 January 2009}} Sharma returned into Congress in 2004 and won the 2005 Haryana Legislative Assembly election from Ambala city. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 2009.{{cite news|title=Expelled Cong leader Venod Sharma resigns as MLA|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/general-elections-2014/expelled-cong-leader-venod-sharma-resigns-as-mla_929113.html|access-date=7 August 2014|work=Zee News|date=2 May 2014}}
On 19 April 2014, Sharma was expelled from the Indian National Congress, for campaigning against it in the recent elections. On 2 May 2014, he resigned as a Member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly and on 23 June he founded his own political party, Haryana Jan Chetna Party (V).{{cite news|title=Venod Sharma, 18 expelled from Congress|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/Venod-Sharma-18-expelled-from-Congress/articleshow/33975419.cms|access-date=7 August 2014|work=The Times of India|date=20 April 2014}}{{cite news|last=Saini|first=Manveer|date=3 May 2014|title=Venod Sharma resigns as Ambala City MLA|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/Venod-Sharma-resigns-as-Ambala-City-MLA/articleshow/34556694.cms|work=The Times of India|access-date=7 August 2014}}{{cite news |title=Expelled Congress leader Venod Sharma resigns as MLA |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/expelled-congress-leader-venod-sharma-resigns-as-mla/articleshow/34531901.cms |access-date=22 June 2019 |work=The Economic Times |date=2 May 2014}}{{cite news|title=Ambala MLA Venod Sharma forms own political party|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ambala-MLA-Venod-Sharma-forms-own-political-party/articleshow/37053115.cms|date=23 June 2014|work=The Times of India|access-date=7 August 2014}} It was alleged that his decision to quit was motivated by a desire to protect his corporate interests.{{cite web|title=Venod Sharma's corporate interests behind his quit-Cong gameplan|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/venod-sharma-s-corporate-interests-behind-his-quit-cong-gameplan/article1-1191858.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307022530/http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/venod-sharma-s-corporate-interests-behind-his-quit-cong-gameplan/article1-1191858.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 March 2014}}
Sharma and his wife, Shakti Rani Sharma, contested the 2014 Haryana state election and lost it to BJP candidates.{{Cite web|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-10-20/news/55236679_1_haryana-janhit-congress-jan-chetna-party-dushyant-chautala|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022042726/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-10-20/news/55236679_1_haryana-janhit-congress-jan-chetna-party-dushyant-chautala|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 October 2014|title=Modi tsunami helps BJP sweep Haryana elections|access-date=25 December 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/DoOxBh78eh1aAvoHK9qXCJ/Media-and-politics-in-Haryana.html|title=Media and politics in Haryana|first=Sevanti|last=Ninan|date=30 October 2014|work=Mint|access-date=25 December 2019}} There were allegations of Poll Code violations by Sharma during the elections.{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/specials/assembly-elections-2014/haryana-news/Poll-code-violation-notice-to-Venod-Sharma/articleshow/44779770.cms|title=Poll code violation notice to Venod Sharma|date=11 October 2014|work=The Times of India|access-date=25 December 2019}}