Anand Sharma, a veteran Congress leader, has resigned from his position as Chairman of the party's Department of Foreign Affairs. Sharma, a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), had been leading the department for approximately a decade, with the last reconstitution of the National Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs occurring in 2018. The resignation was tendered on Sunday, August 10, 2025.

Sharma stated that his resignation was aimed at facilitating the reconstitution of the department and bringing in younger leaders to ensure continuity in its functioning. In his resignation letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharma conveyed that he had previously communicated his views on reconstituting the committee to both Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. He expressed gratitude to the party leadership for entrusting him with the responsibility.

Sharma has been a prominent Congress voice on international affairs for nearly four decades. He has been actively involved in building and strengthening the Congress's relations with like-minded parties across the world. He noted that the Congress has strong relations with major parties in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America, and the department has established an institutional mechanism for the exchange of leadership delegations with fraternal parties and international organizations.

Anand Sharma recalled his proactive association with major international initiatives of the Congress since the mid-1980s as Youth Congress president, including the NAM youth conference in 1985 and the 'Anti Apartheid Conference' in 1987.

Despite stepping down from the chairmanship, Sharma will continue to remain a member of the party. Congress MP Manish Tewari conveyed his deep respect and admiration for Anand Sharma, highlighting his exceptional understanding of foreign affairs, especially regarding Africa. Tewari noted that he and Anand Sharma were part of the same all-party delegation, where members benefited from Sharma's insights.

Sharma played a key role in negotiating the Indo-US nuclear deal, securing India-specific waivers at the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and institutionalizing the India-Africa partnership, including convening the first India-Africa summit. He was also part of recent all-party parliamentary delegations sent abroad to present India's stance after Operation Sindoor, and he articulated India's position globally following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Other members of the Department of Foreign Affairs include Partap Singh Bajwa, Manish Tewari, Pallam Raju, Deepender Hooda, Sajiv Joseph, Ragini Nayak, and Sanjay Chandok.