Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, popularly known as B. D. Sharma and Panditji, was a renowned Indian freedom fighter who contributed significantly to the Indian freedom struggle against the rule of the British authorities. After the nation attained independence, he was appointed as the first Chief Minister of the state of Haryana. Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma also served as the Governor of Orissa state and the state of Madhya Pradesh from 30th April 1980 to 14th May 1984. Bhagwat Dayal Sharma was born on 26 January 1918 at Beri, which was a sub-division of Haryana.

Independence Activities of Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
Bhagwat Dayal Sharma took active participation in the Indian freedom struggle and fought against the British Empire in India in order to attain national independence. He remained active in the independence struggle from the year 1941 to 1946. As result of his participation in revolutionary activities, B. D. Sharma was detained by the British Police of India and was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 1 year in 1941. Later in 1942, he was again arrested and was imprisoned for more than 3 years.

Political Career of Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
After the nation attained freedom from the rule of the British Empire in India, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma became a member of the labourers delegation to ILO (Geneva) in 1957 and 1958. He also served as the Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (Punjab HP, J & K) and was later appointed as its President in 1959. He served the post till the year 1961. He became a Member of Punjab Legislative Assembly and Minister of State for Labour and Cooperatives in 1962 and remained active till 1966. Pandit Sharma was appointed as the Chief Minister of Haryana and served office from 1966 to 1967. He was also elected as a member of Rajya Sabha from 1968 to 1974 and was appointed as the Governor of Orissa in the year 1977. Several well known Indian politicians like Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal learned the fundamentals of politics under the guidance of Bhagwat Dayal Sharma.

Other Activities of Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
Bhagwat Dayal Sharma was also a patron of various cultural and social institutions in Orissa. He was also vigorously involved in the Jagannath Temple Administrative Committee.

Personal Life of Bhagwat Dayal Sharma
Bhagwat Dayal Sharma died on 22 February 1993 as a result of declining health. He was cremated at Beri in Jhajjar, Haryana. A tomb was constructed at the site of his cremation in Beri. The Rohtak Medical College was dedicated and named after Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma.