U-turn: Virbhadra says will contest from Shimla (Rural)

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, February 7

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh indicated today that he will contest election from his constituency (Rural Shimla) in the Assembly elections slated to take place at the year-end. Virbhadra Singh had, only recently, announced that this time his son Vikramaditya Singh will contest the elections from Rural Shimla.

The Chief Minister was at Balh area of district Mandi today to attend the marriage ceremony of the son of Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhari. He was accompanied by his family, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes, Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma and others at the function.

In reply to a query the Chief Minister said, “At present I am representing Rural Shimla constituency and I will locate a suitable seat for Vikramaditya to contest the elections”.

The Chief Minister had sprang a surprise by offering his Assembly seat to his son Vikramaditya, saying he would himself like to contest from a seat which the Congress had never won. However, later he seemed backtracking from his comment by saying that it was all said in jolly mood.

The Chief Minister was under continuous fire from the opposition BJP. The party was accusing Virbhadra Singh of retracting from his own statements. The Chief Minister recently announced the second capital status for Dharamsala. The BJP alleged that thereafter he gave several contradictory statements over the issue.