Congress names 59 candidates; CM from Arki, son on wait list

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 18

The Congress tonight released the first list of 59 candidates for the November 9 Himachal elections with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh all set to contest from the Arki Assembly constituency in Solan district.

The CM, also the campaign committee chief, decided on Arki, from where the party has been losing in recent times. The CM’s original seat, Shimla Rural, which he vacated for his son Vikramaditya Singh, has been withheld as the Congress is still debating the one family, one ticket rule. The call will be taken by Congress president Sonia Gandhi after the Central Election Committee authorised her to do so today. Another seat withheld in this category is Mandi, which minister Kaul Singh Thakur’s daughter Champa is seeking.

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Pending seats also include  Theog, Kullu, Manali, Kutlehar, Palampur, Shahpur and Nalagarh.

Other important nominees in today’s list are Rajya Sabha MP Viplove Thakur, who has been brought to defend the Dehra segment. The party asked Thakur to contest in view of winnability.

Himachal Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has been fielded from Nadaun, which he has won once and lost twice. He wanted to contest from Shimla Urban, from where Harbhajan Singh Bhajji has been fielded.

The first list mostly comprises sitting MLAs, with the visible drop in the category being MLA Khub Ram from Anni reserved constituency. Bansi Lal has been fielded from Anni instead.

Since Jawali MLA Neeraj Bharti expressed a desire to withdraw, the Jawali ticket has been given to his father and former MP Chander Kumar. AICC incharge for Punjab and Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari has been nominated from her current seat Dalhousie.

Himachal Cabinet ministers fielded from their segments are Kaul Singh Thakur from Darang, GS Bali from Nagrota, Mukesh Agnihotri from Haroli, Sudhir Sharma from Dharamsala,  Sujan Singh Pathania from Fatehpur, Prakash Choudhry from Balh reserved segment and Dhani Ram Shandil from Solan.

Former Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir will fight from Pachhad. Importantly, although the Congress attempted to prevail on Bharmour MLA and minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri to vacate the seat for his son, he insisted on fighting himself. He will defend the tribal segment.

Former MP KD Sultanpuri’s son Vinod Sultanpuri has been repeated as a candidate from Kasauli constituency. He had lost the last election by 24 votes.

Ex-CPS Harsh Vardhan Chauhan has been named from Shillai constituency.

From Nahan, the segment traditionally represented by the family of Himachal’s first Chief Minister YS Parmar, the ticket has this time been given to Ajay Solanki instead of Kush Parmar, the son of late YS Parmar.

Aditya Vikram Singh has been fielded from Banjar constituency following the recent death of his father and sitting minister Karan Singh, a scion of the Kullu royal family.

Sitting Speaker BBL Butail’s seat Palampur has not been cleared yet even though Deputy Speaker JS Negi’s name has been cleared from the Kinnaur ST seat.

Butail is said to have expressed reluctance to contest, as has eight-time MLA Vidya Stokes from Theog. She is said to have again written to the Congress leadership to field Virbhadra Singh from Theog, saying he alone can win from here. Senior leaader KS Rathore is an applicant from Theog.

Local Himachal leader Rajinder Rana has been fielded from Sujanpur, which former CM and senior BJP leader PK Dhumal will contest. Rana had earlier unsuccessfully contested against Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat.