Suspense on Cong nominee from Kutlehar

Our Correspondent

UNA, OCTOBER 20

Suspense continues for the Congress supporters in Kutlehar segment of Una district, where the party high command has yet to put its seal on the official candidates.

Kutlehar is one of the five Assembly segments in the district where the Congress has failed to represent the segment in the Assembly for the last 27 years. During this period, more than a dozen candidates have emerged as leaders in different pockets of the segment, staking their claim for the party ticket.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, at his many public meetings in the segment during the present tenure, had called upon all the local leaders to get united and ensure the victory of a Congress candidate from here this time.

The names of four probables, including that of Devinder Bhutto, who had recently switched loyalties from the BJP to the Congress, are doing the rounds, but the Kutlehar Congress party organisation had announced to boycott the elections if the ticket was finalised on his name.

Consequently, the finalisation of party candidate from Kutlehar had been put on hold. Meanwhile, district Congress president Virender Dharmani said the meeting to finalise the remaining nine candidates, including the one from Kutlehar, is scheduled to be held on Saturday at 11 am.

He said the party will make all out efforts to wrestle the Kutlehar seat this time.