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Who is Anurag Thakur?
Anurag Thakur is an Indian politician, and cricket administrator and is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha since 2019. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and represents the Hamirpur constituency in the state of Himachal Pradesh. He currently serves as the Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
Thakur was born on October 24, 1974, in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. His father, Prem Kumar Dhumal, is a former Chief Minister of the state. Thakur completed his schooling at Dayanand Public School in Shimla and later graduated from the Doaba College in Jalandhar, Punjab.
Anurag Thakur was a cricketer before he entered politics. He played for the Himachal Pradesh cricket team and also played one international match for the Indian cricket team in 2000. Thakur was involved in the administration of cricket in Himachal Pradesh and served as the President of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) from 2000 to 2017. Under his leadership, the HPCA made significant progress in the development of cricket infrastructure in the state, and several young cricketers from Himachal Pradesh went on to represent the Indian cricket team.
Anurag Thakur was a cricketer before he entered politics. He played for the Himachal Pradesh cricket team and also played one international match for the Indian cricket team in 2000. Thakur was involved in the administration of cricket in Himachal Pradesh and served as the President of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) from 2000 to 2017. Under his leadership, the HPCA made significant progress in the development of cricket infrastructure in the state, and several young cricketers from Himachal Pradesh went on to represent the Indian cricket team.
In addition to his involvement in cricket administration, Thakur also pursued a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from HP University in Shimla. He completed his degree in 2000 and went on to pursue a career in politics.
His political career began in 2008 when he was elected to the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Hamirpur constituency. He was re-elected in 2012 and served as a Cabinet Minister in the Himachal Pradesh government. Thakur was also the President of the BJYM, the youth wing of the BJP, from 2010 to 2016.
In 2016, Thakur was elected as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body for cricket in India. He served in this position until 2017 when the Supreme Court of India removed him and other top BCCI officials for not implementing the recommendations of the Lodha Committee, which was appointed to reform the BCCI.
In July 2016, Anurag Thakur became part of the territorial army, becoming the first serving BJP Member of Parliament to become a regular commissioned Officer in the Territorial army.
On July 18, 2018, the BJP appointed him as the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha — a post that is normally given to a senior lawmaker mandated to enforce party discipline and ensure the party line is followed in Parliament.
Thakur was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 and was appointed as the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs in the second Modi government. In this position, Thakur has been involved in the implementation of various economic policies and reforms, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).