Rinesh Sharma
Fijian entrepreneur and politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rinesh Rajesh Sharma (born 22 April 1993) is a Fijian entrepreneur, politician and member of the Parliament of Fiji.[1] He became an independent politician, following the deregistration of FijiFirst in 2024.
Independent (2024–present)
Rinesh Sharma | |
|---|---|
Sharma in 2023 | |
| Member of the Fijian Parliament for the Republic of Fiji | |
| Assumed office 14 December 2022 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 April 1993 |
| Party | FijiFirst (2022–2024) Independent (2024–present) |
| Alma mater | Natabua High School Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University |
Early career and education
In 2018, Sharma graduated from Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology in India with a Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering degree. He is originally from Lautoka.[2] He then founded Smarts Fiji which specialises in hydroponics farming.[3] That same year, he was able to secure a government-backed grant to begin automated hydroponics farms on a commercial scale in Fiji.[4]
In February 2020, Sharma was nominated for the 2020 Commonwealth Youth Awards. That same year, he received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to combat the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji.[5]
Political career
Sharma was one of the candidates announced by FijiFirst for the 2022 Fijian general election.[6] He was elected to the Parliament of Fiji with 1,705 votes.[7] At 29, he is the youngest to be serving as a member of parliament.[8][9]