Before Manorama Dobriyal Sharma hogged the limelight as the Congress high command’s nominee for the solitary Rajya Sabha seat from Uttarakhand in September 2014, she was known for her monumental contribution to the development of Dehradun as its first mayor. Aside from taking a slew of measures to help Dehradun stride ahead developmentally, she had hosted a world- level mayoral conference in Uttarakhand during her mayoral stint-a feat that endeared her to many, even to her political rivals.She was born on September 3, 1955 and was associated with the Congress since 1972 when the party was reigning supreme on the national scenario with Indira Gandhi being firmly in the saddle of things. She was a fighter par excellence. Her never-say-die spirit was exemplary, to say the least.
She had inherited her fiery spirit from her father late Pandit Tika Ram Dobriyal who was in the Indian National Army and fought against the British thralldom under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. later, he joined the Indian Army and fought many a battle to shield the national frontiers from the alien incursion. He was bestowed with gallantry award (Shourya Chakra) by the President of India by way of recognition for his peerless gallantry. She was married to BS Sharma, an officer in ONGC. leaving the State’s political watchers baffled, she got the nomination for the RS seat in November 2014. What intrigued many was the fact that the party high command had reposed confidence in her despite the State Congress stalwart and the former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna jockeying hard for the seat. Since her election, she was being considered as a close confidante of the Chief Minister Harish Rawat. However, she represented the State in the Upper House only during the Winter Session of the Parliament in 2014 with destiny cutting short her stint at too early a stage.
During her battle-hardened political career spanning over more than four decades, she adorned numerous posts in myriad organisations-political, apolitical, Governmental and international. She had served as the general secretary of All India Mahila Congress. She was also in-charge of Himachal Pradesh Mahila Congress. She served as chairperson of Asian Council of Mayors. She was a member of Central Advisory Board related to child labour under the aegis of the Union Government. She was elected a board member of Commonwealth local Government Forum, london. She was the former member of National Task Force of Urban Poverty Alleviation under Union Government. She had drafted a report on how to give ownership to the slum dwellers. The erstwhile UPA government had accepted the report.
However, it is interesting to recall that the lady had started rather humbly as a lIC agent under Vijay Pal Singh, then development officer (DO) of lIC.In 1977, during the tumultuous phase of the Congress with redoubtable Indira Gandhi being humbled in the lok Sabha hustings, she plunged headlong into the rough and tumble of politics. She was arrested at the court premises along with her supporters, as she staged a stir against the then Janata Party Government in the Centre. later, she courted arrest in 1976 again while taking part in Jail Bharo Andolan launched at the behest of Indira Gandhi. On March 19, 1979, she was injured while participating in the stir staged by the sugarcane growers under the leadership of the Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai. In between 1981-85, she was the general secretary of District Youth Congress, Dehradun; between 1985-93, she was the district president of Mahila Congress, Dehradun. This aside, she served several other organisations in different capacities like Garhwal Mandal Nirbal Evam Kamgar Maha Sangh, District Mahila Kamgar Mahasangh, Kisan Seva Sahkari Samiti, Ajabpur, Dehradun and Kisan Sahkari Samiti.