A 33-year old man, originally from Himachal Pradesh, is among the newly-elected members of Jacinda Ardern’s Cabinet in New Zealand, reported News-18.
Defeating the candidate from the National Party with a margin of 4,425 votes, Dr Gaurav Sharma won from the Hamilton West electorate.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakar, on Sunday, 18 October, took to Twitter to congratulate Dr Sharma for his victory.
“You have made Dev Bhoomi Himachal proud,” wrote the CM, while sharing the news of Gaurav Sharma’s election.
More About Gaurav Sharma
According to News18, Sharma immigrated to New Zealand, along with his family, 20 years ago. He is a native of Himachal’s Hamirpur district, and now a doctor by profession who works as a general practitioner in Newton, Hamilton.
He went to medical school in New Zealand, did MBA from Washington DC, and, according to his Twitter bio, is also a Fullbright Scholar.
However, life hasn’t always been easy for Sharma and his family. When his family first moved to New Zealand, his father took six years to find himself a new job and the family was even homeless for a while. They spent nights on park benches and arranged food from the Aukland City Mission, reported News18.
According to News18, Sharma, following his election, said:
“As a local doctor, I hear first-hand the concerns of our community every day. My work in healthcare and experience in management will help me be a strong voice for Hamilton in this post-pandemic recovery phase.”
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)