The election of Anurag Thakur as Secretary, BCCI, has come as a shot in the arm for his supporters in the State. The three-time MP from Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, is one of the youngest BJP leaders in the country. Although he happens to be the son of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, yet he is, by and large, a self-made person who has succeeded in reaching the coveted post on his own efforts.
Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, one of the smallest States in the country, Thakur scaled this height merely because of his dash, dynamism and talent encountering many odds and political vendetta let loose on him by the political detractors of his father. The sequence of events opened an opportunity for Anurag to contest election from Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in 2008 and he won the election as BJP candidate when his father joined the State politics and later became the Chief Minister.
He was elected as MP from Hamirpur in 2014 in the Modi wave when all the 4 Parliamentary seats were annexed by the BJP. The pro-BJP wave was so sweeping that in 53 of the 68 Assembly seats, BJP took a big lead in the State. Thakur had an aptitude and passion for sports right from the beginning. By virtue of his contribution in sports, he was made the national president of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He also became the youngest president of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and executive member of the Indian Olympic Association.
His journey to success was not a cake walk. Along with his father and brother brother Arun Thakur, he had to face the wrath of the Congress Government in power. Cases were initiated against all of them. However, undeterred by odds and adversities he kept on going ahead. Despite the fact that he brought Himachal Pradesh on the world map of cricket by constructing one of the most beautiful Cricket Stadiums in the world at Dharamsala, political adversaries of BJP played foul politics.
The Congress Government even refused to provide security to the international players resulting in the cancellation of international matches at Dharamsala hitting tourism hard, alleged Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, headed by Thakur. After getting elected Secretary BCCI, Thakur told The Pioneer that he would leave no stone unturned in taking necessary steps to strengthen the Cricket Board and would make his best endeavor to take cricket to new heights. “Our priority will be to restore the confidence of the people in cricket and add a new chapter in the history of the game”, he said.