Raj Babbar From Gurgaon, Anand Sharma From Kangra - Congress’ New List Out

Congress has fielded actor-politician Raj Babbar from Gurgaon. In the new list announced today, the party has fielded senior Congress leader and former union minister Anand Sharma from Himachal’s Kangra.

The list carries the names of Satpal Raizada and Bushan Patil, who have been fielded from Hamirpur and Mumbai North respectively.

The nomination from Haryana”s Gurgaon seat was withheld to date due to the factional divide within the constituency. Several aspirants for the candidature emerged from the Hooda camp, causing pressure upon the party leadership to pick one. Reports had suggested that former Chief Minister Bhupinder Hoodaha had pushed for the nomination of the actor-politician Raj Babbar from the constituency. 

With the Congress nominating Babbar, he is set to face BJP veteran and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh from Gurgaon. The voting for the seat will be held in the sixth round of the general election scheduled on May 25.

A three-time Lok Sabha and two-time Rajya Sabha MP, Raj Babbar has been a seasoned politician. Acted in many noted films, Raj Babbar entered politics in 1989 by joining Janata Dal. After joining the Congress in 2008, he served in important portfolios including as president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). In 2013, Raj Babbar landed in controversy after comparing the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Adolf Hitler.

The latest list also included the name of the Congress veteran Anand Sharma. He has been fielded in Himachal’s Kangra constituency against the BJP”s Rajeev Bharadwaj. After wresting the seat from Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been representing the seat. Hoping to wrest back the seat, the grand old party had fielded the party heavyweight who comes with a wealth of leadership experience.

The former Union Minister has been a four-time Rajya Sabha MP. Notably, the nomination of Anand Sharma marks his first Lok Sabha contest.