Shanta Kumar

Shanta Kumar (born 12 September 1934) is a former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and a former minister in 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 and 1999 from the same constituency. He has written a number of books.

Shanta Kumar was born to Jagannath Sharma and Kaushalya Devi on 12 September 1934 in Garhjamula, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.

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.

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. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1985.

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. 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. In 2014, he was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha from Kangra.

Kumar's books include:

• Dharti Balidan Ki, 1962
• Himalaya Par Lal Chhaya, 1964
• Vishwa Vijeta Vivekanand, 1968
• Lajo, 1976
• Man Ke Meet, 1976
• Kaidi, 1976
• Jyotirmayi, 1977
• O Pravasi Meet Mere, 1977
• Mrigtrishna, 1980
• Kranti Abhi Adhoori Hai, 1985
• Deewar Ke Us Paar, 1995
• Rajneeti Ki Shatranj, 1997
• Tumhare Pyar Ki Pati, 1999
• Vrinda, 2007

• "Kumar Shanta". Retrieved 2016-06-22.