 Shanta Kumar was born to Jagannath Sharma and Kaushalya Devi on 12 September 1934 in Garhjamula, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.His political career began in 1963 when he was elected as a Panch in the Gram Panchayat for Garhjamula.He was subsequently elected as a member of the Panchayat Samiti in Bhawarna and then was president of Zilla Parishad in Kangra from 1965 to 1970.