Team News Riveting
Dr Gaurav Sharma, a 33-year-old Indian-born Labour Party leader from Himachal Pradesh has been inducted in the newly re-elected New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s cabinet.
Gaurav Sharma was in Class 9 when he moved to New Zealand with his father and mother. Sharma’s father, who used to work as an executive engineer in the electricity board of Himachal Pradesh, had resigned from his government job and shifted to New Zealand. However, the change was not that smooth.
During the initial years in New Zealand, Sharma’s family had to face a lot of struggle. His father finally landed a job after six years. Due to constraints, the family was rendered homeless for some time. The family reportedly used to spend nights on benches in parks.
Gaurav Sharma studied Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at The University of Auckland Medical School and later earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington DC where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Sharma was elected from Hamilton West as a Labour Party candidate. He polled 16,950 votes defeating National Party’s Tim Macindoe by a 4,425-vote margin, New Zealand’s Electoral Commission said.
The news was celebrated back home in India, where Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Sunday congratulated him.