Congress’ Rajya Sabha candidate from Himachal Pradesh Anurag Sharma was awarded construction contracts worth nearly Rs 16 crore in the past two years.
The Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD) in Kangra gave him contracts worth Rs 15.98 crore from September 2024 to February 2026.
Two projects worth Rs 12 crore were awarded to him on a single day — February 12 this year. The works include Rs 2.52 crore worth construction of retaining wall under Post-Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) and Rs 10 crore worth construction of 85-m single-lane motorable bridge.
This was revealed in Sharma’s election affidavit which he filed on Thursday after the Congress nominated him to the . The affidavit also mentions his profession as a government contractor and transporter.
As per the affidavit, he was awarded contracts worth around Rs 23.62 crore between 2019 and 2026. According to the affidavit, Sharma, who is also president of District Congress Committee Kangra, has been executing a number of road and bridge construction works under different schemes, including NABARD, Prime Minister Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and other departmental projects, primarily in the Baijnath and Jogindernagar divisions of the HPPWD.
When asked, Sharma said that he has been in the business of contracts since 2003. “My father and grandfather were also contractors. I am a Class A contractor. It is not that I have started receiving contracts in the last three years, five years or nine years. Whatever contracts I received, I completed these contracts as per the conditions and rules. It is my profession. Apart from this, I am also a passionate sportsperson. I am very keen to promote adventure games including paragliding, mountain biking etc in Dhauladhar area of Kangra.”
Naresh Chauhan, Principal Media Adviser to CM , said that Sharma is a self-made man. “Being a contractor is not something wrong. Whatever he disclosed in his affidavit, he disclosed it honestly. I don’t know about how many contracts were given to him but I know he is not someone who can be described as a ‘big contractor’. He is a simple Congress worker who is going to rise to the rank of Rajya Sabha MP. Rahul Gandhi ji says that it is the era of youths especially of Youth Congress workers.”
Sharma, who has been also National Youth Congress leader, has also been executing maintenance contracts under PMGSY incentive schemes. These include DLP maintenance of the Baijnath to Ghandhigram Upperla road awarded on September 11, 2024, at a cost of Rs 110.79 lakh. The work includes initial rectification, repair of potholes and drains, periodic renewal and post-maintenance. DLP maintenance of the Baijnath to Dhanag road under PMGSY Incentive 2025–26 awarded on August 5, 2025, at a cost of Rs 53.62 lakh. Construction work has been completed and the maintenance phase is ongoing.
