Kuldeep Rai Sharma
Kuldeep Rai Sharma | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 23 May 2019 – 4 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Bishnu Pada Ray |
| Succeeded by | Bishnu Pada Ray |
| Constituency | Andaman & Nicobar Islands |
| President of the Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee | |
| In office 28 June 2020 – 6 August 2021 | |
| National President Indian National Congress | Sonia Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Rangalal Haldar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 September 1967 Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Vinita Sharma |
| Children | 2 Daughter (Aastha Sharma and Namya Sharma) |
Kuldeep Rai Sharma (born 10 September 1967) is an Indian politician belonging to INC, who served as a member of Parliament from 2019 to 2024. He also served as President of Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee until 2021.[1][2] Later on, he was promoted by Congress President Sonia Gandhi as All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary incharge for Indian National Congress in Karnataka.[3]
Kuldeep Rai Sharma won the Lok Sabha election 2019 as an Indian National Congress candidate and became Member of Parliament of Andaman & Nicobar Islands constituency, defeating the BJP candidate by a nominal margin of 1,407 votes in his fourth attempt to reach the Parliament.
Results of Past Elections
[edit]| Year | Office | Constituency | Party | Votes for | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | Andaman and Nicober Islands | Indian Congress (Socialist) | 29,687 | 20.36 | Manoranjan Bhakta | Indian National Congress | 52,365 | 35.91 | Lost |
| 2009 | Indian National Congress | 72,221 | 42.46 | Bishnu Pada Ray | Bharatiya Janata Party | 75,211 | 44.21 | Lost | ||
| 2014 | 83,157 | 43.69 | Bishnu Pada Ray | 90,969 | 47.80 | Lost | ||||
| 2019 | 95,308 | 45.98 | Vishal Jolly | 93,901 | 45.30 | Won | ||||
| 2024 | 78,040 | 38.54 | Bishnu Pada Ray | 102,436 | 50.58 | Lost |
Awards and recognition
[edit]UNICEF awarded him with PGC Awards 2020 for his work to protect child rights.[4] He initiated 18 debates and 15 questions on matters relating to child labour, malnutrition, mid-day meal schemes, safety of children and child immunisation in the parliament during 2019–20.
Legal issues
[edit]In July 2025, Kuldeep Rai Sharma became the subject of a criminal investigation relating to alleged irregularities at the Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank, where he had earlier served as chairman. A First Information Report was filed on 15 May 2025 concerning alleged misuse of banking procedures in loan sanctions.[5] On 18 July 2025, the Andaman & Nicobar Police CID arrested him from a hospital in Port Blair while he was undergoing treatment.[5] His bail petition was rejected by the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court in Port Blair, leading to police custody followed by 14 days of judicial custody.[6]
On 31 July 2025, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted its first-ever searches in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, targeting locations in Port Blair and Kolkata, as part of a money laundering investigation linked to the case.[7] The ED alleged that more than 100 bank accounts were used to siphon over ₹500 crore, and seized property documents valued at over ₹100 crore.[8] As of early August 2025, Sharma and at least seven others had been arrested in connection with the alleged scam. Among those formally arrested were K. Murugan, then Managing Director of ANSCBL, and Kalaivanan, a bank employee. The FIR additionally named the former chairman Bhagat Singh, several board members/directors, and multiple beneficiaries as accused parties.[9][10][11]
The Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank’s official disclosures list multiple non-performing asset (NPA) accounts sanctioned during Ravinder Rao’s tenure as Managing Director.[12] As of August 2025, no independent media reports or official statements have indicated that Rao has been named in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation into the bank’s lending practices.
References
[edit]- ^ "UNI News". Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Zubair Ahmed (5 April 2014). "Kuldeep Rai Sharma: One Chance Please!". Andaman Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Deccan Herald News". Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
- ^ Denis Giles (7 October 2020). "UNICEF India Awards Kuldeep Rai Sharma, MP A&N Islands for His Works to Protect Child Rights". Andaman Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Ex-Congress MP's bail plea rejected, sent to police custody in bank fraud case". The Print. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Andaman coop bank scam: Ex-Cong MP Kuldeep Sharma arrested". Press Trust of India. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "ED conducts first-ever searches in Andaman & Nicobar in ₹200 crore bank loan scam; ex-MP Kuldeep Rai Sharma under ED lens". Free Press Journal. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Over ₹500 cr in loans siphoned through more than 100 accounts: ED on Andaman co-op bank scam". The Economic Times. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ Economic Times (1 August 2025). "Over Rs 500 cr in loans siphoned through more than 100 accounts: ED on Andaman Co-op Bank Scam". The Economic Times.
- ^ Enforcement Directorate (1 August 2025). "ANSCB Loan Scam: MD arrested; Probe widens" (PDF). enforcementdirectorate.gov.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2025.
- ^ The Print (31 July 2025). "ED's first-ever raid in Andaman & Nicobar linked to cooperative bank fraud". The Print.
- ^ "NPAs sanctioned by Ravinder Rao as Ex-MD of ANSCB" (PDF). Andaman & Nicobar State Cooperative Bank. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2025.