{{Short description|Indian politician (1927–2022)}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Pandit Sukh Ram | party = Indian National Congress | other_party = {{ubl|Bharatiya Janata Party (2017{{endash}}2019)|Himachal Vikas Congress (1998{{endash}}2017)}} | constituency1 = Mandi, Himachal Pradesh | predecessor1 = Virbhadra Singh | successor1 = Maheshwar Singh | term_start1 = {{Start date|1984||}} | term_end1 = {{End date|1989||}} | office = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | constituency = Mandi, Himachal Pradesh | predecessor = Maheshwar Singh | successor = Maheshwar Singh | term_start = {{Start date|1989|12|01|df=yes}} | term_end = {{End date|1998|03|05|df=yes}} | office2 = Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology | prime_minister2 = P. V. Narasimha Rao | term_start2 = {{Start date|1993|01|18|df=yes}} | term_end2 = {{End date|1996|05|16|df=yes}} | predecessor2 = Rajesh Pilot | successor2 = Atal Bihari Vajpayee | birth_name = Sukhram Sharma | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1927|07|27}} | birth_place = Mandi, Punjab, British India | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2022|05|11|1927|7|27}} | death_place = New Delhi, India | alma_mater = Delhi Law School | profession = Politician | spouse = | children = Anil Sharma (son) | relations = Aayush Sharma (grandson) }}
'''Pandit Sukh Ram''' (born '''Sukhram Sharma'''; 27 July 1927 – 11 May 2022)<ref>[https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/veteran-himachal-congress-leader-sukh-ram-passes-away-101652239781507.html Veteran Himachal Congress leader Sukh Ram passes away]</ref> was an Indian politician who served as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology from 1993 to 1996. He was a member of Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency of Himachal Pradesh. He won the Vidhan Sabha elections five times and the Lok Sabha elections three times.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mandi Lok Sabha Election Result - Parliamentary Constituency|url=https://resultuniversity.com/election/mandi-lok-sabha#1984|access-date=21 September 2021|website=resultuniversity.com}}</ref> He is the father of politician Anil Sharma and grandfather of actor Aayush Sharma. In 2011 he was sentenced to 5 years in jail for corruption when he was Communications Minister in 1996.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=1996 telecom scam: Sukhram gets 5 years in jail|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/1996-telecom-scam-sukhram-gets-5-years-in-jail/article20362186.ece1|access-date=2 February 2022|website=www.thehindubusinessline.com|date=19 November 2011 |language=en}}</ref>
==Early life== Sukhram Sharma was born on 27 July 1927<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/sukhram-a-wily-politician-turned-kingmaker/story-UHgginqeL4jTHSolnmQzrO.html|title=Sukhram: A wily politician turned Kingmaker|date=13 February 2003|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=16 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> in a poor family of 10 children in Kotli, Himachal Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-man-from-mandi/202040|title=The Man From Mandi|date=4 September 1996|work=Outlook India|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref>
He attended the Delhi Law School and practised as a lawyer at the Mandi District law courts in 1953. In 1962, he became a Member of the Territorial Council in Himachal Pradesh.
==Political career== Ram represented the Mandi Assembly seat from 1963 to 1984. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984 and served as a junior minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government. He served as minister of state for defence production and supplies, planning and food and civil supplies. Sukh Ram was the Union minister of state (independent charge) holding the communications portfolio from 1993 to 1996.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dot.gov.in/about-us/former-ministers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002203226/http://www.dot.gov.in/about-us/former-ministers|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2013|title=About Us {{!}} Former Ministers {{!}} Department of Telecommunications|date=2 October 2013|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref>
While Ram represented the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, his son contested and won the Assembly seat in 1993. Ram won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in 1996, but the two were expelled from the Congress party after the telecom scam. They formed the Himachal Vikas Congress,<ref>{{Cite web|title=दो दशक में पंडित सुखराम ने चार बार बदला पाला, 1998 में बनाई थी हिविकां|url=https://www.amarujala.com/shimla/pandit-sukhram-sharma-political-career-and-lok-sabha-election-2019|access-date=21 September 2021|website=Amar Ujala|language=hi}}</ref> entered into a post-poll alliance with the BJP and joined the government.
Ram contested the Assembly Elections in 1998 from Mandi Sadar and won by a huge margin of 22000+ votes; that was highest in the State. His son Anil Sharma was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1998. In the 2003 Assembly poll, Ram retained the Mandi Assembly seat but joined the Congress in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. Sharma won the Mandi Assembly seat in 2007 and 2012 as a Congress candidate. In 2017, prior to elections, Ram joined BJP along with Sharma and grandson Aashray Sharma.
It is considered as impact of Ram that BJP won 9 out of 10 seats in Mandi District and one seat i.e. Joginder Nagar was won by an independent candidate. Sharma was the Power Minister in the state of Himachal Pradesh under BJP regime.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Congress leader Sukh Ram's son resigns from Himachal's BJP govt|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/elections/lok-sabha/india/congress-leader-sukh-rams-son-resigns-from-himachals-bjp-govt/articleshow/68852801.cms?from=mdr|access-date=21 September 2021}}</ref> The family has a significant influence among the Himachal's brahmins, who comprise nearly 20%, or a fifth, of the state's electorate (the second-highest for any state in India, next to Uttarakhand). His other grandson Aayush Sharma is an actor and married superstar Salman Khan's sister.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 November 2014|title=Salman's sister all set to tie knot with Himachal leader Sukh Ram's grandson|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/salman-s-sister-all-set-to-tie-knot-with-himachal-leader-sukh-ram-s-grandson/story-wrxZrsbhbza33LnKiPvWFJ.html|access-date=21 September 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>
Ram crossed over to Bharatiya Janata Party in 2017<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sukh-ram-and-sons-cross-over-to-bjp/articleshow/61085523.cms|title=Sukh Ram and sons cross over to BJP - Times of India|last=Bodhi|first=Anand|date=15 October 2017|work=The Times of India|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref> before reverting to the Indian National Congress in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/back-in-hp-congress-sukhram-buries-decades-long-feud-with-virbhadra-singh-cements-ties-with-hug-2082215.html|title=Back in HP Congress, Sukhram Buries Decades-long Feud with Virbhadra Singh, Cements Ties with Hug|website=News18|date=29 March 2019 |access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/former-union-minister-sukh-ram-grandson-aashray-sharma-join-congress/article26633428.ece|title=Former Union Minister Sukh Ram, grandson Aashray Sharma join Congress|date=25 March 2019|work=The Hindu|access-date=7 April 2019|agency=PTI|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/party-hoppers-before-lok-sabha-polls-119040700015_1.html|title=Party hoppers before Lok Sabha polls|last=IANS|date=7 April 2019|work=Business Standard India|access-date=7 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=26 March 2019|title=Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Grandson in tow, Sukh Ram returns to Congress|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/lok-sabha-elections-2019-grandson-in-tow-sukh-ram-returns-to-congress/story-oGRwN0sfpbSouRiHdCG5RK.html|access-date=21 September 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>
== Jail == In 1996 he was Communications Minister during a major telecom scam. In 2011 he was sentenced to 5 years in jail for corruption in this scam.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=1996 telecom scam: Sukhram gets 5 years in jail|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/1996-telecom-scam-sukhram-gets-5-years-in-jail/article20362186.ece1|access-date=2 February 2022|website=www.thehindubusinessline.com|date=19 November 2011 |language=en}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|India|Politics}} *List of scandals in India *Licence Raj *Mafia Raj *Lok Ayukta
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|in-lwr}} {{s-bef|before=Virbhadra Singh}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for Mandi |years=1984 – 1989}} {{s-aft|after=Maheshwar Singh}} |- {{s-bef|before=Maheshwar Singh}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for Mandi |years=1991 – 1998}} {{s-aft|after=Maheshwar Singh}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Rajesh Pilot<br />(MoS, Independent Charge)}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister of Communications and Information Technology<br />(MoS, Independent Charge)|years=17 January 1993 - 16 May 1996}} {{s-aft|after=Atal Bihari Vajpayee}} |- {{s-end}}
{{Energy Ministries and Departments of India}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Sukh}} Category:1927 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Himachal Pradesh Category:People from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh Category:Indian politicians convicted of crimes Category:Indian prisoners and detainees Category:Lok Sabha members from Himachal Pradesh Category:India MPs 1984–1989 Category:India MPs 1991–1996 Category:India MPs 1996–1997 Category:Crime in Himachal Pradesh Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Himachal Pradesh Category:Himachal Vikas Congress politicians Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1963–1967 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1967–1972 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1972–1977 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1977–1982 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1982–1985 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 1998–2003 Category:Himachal Pradesh MLAs 2003–2007