Anant Prasad Sharma (25 December 1919 – October 1988) was an Indian Railway Union leader, politician who became Minister of State for Industry, and Union Minister of the government of India.

Because of his career as a trade union leader, he was invited by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India,[3] to run for the Parliamentary elections from the constituency of Buxar, Bihar.

[4][5] In 1974, he was made the Minister of State for Industry, Government of India,[6] under the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi.

Thereafter, he went on to become the Union Minister for Ministries including Communications, Surface Transport, Shipping and Civil Aviation in Government of India.

[citation needed] His eldest son, Shri Hriday Narayan Sharma, an India Railway officer was asked by Shri Rajiv Gandhi to contest the Bihar State Assembly Elections from Dumraon in 1990.