Vikramaditya bats for one family-one ticket norm

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 19

In what may come as a major shocker to most, Vikramaditya Singh, State Youth Congress president and son of Chief Minister, today said he is in favour of adopting the principle of one family-one ticket during the ensuing Assembly polls, putting a question mark on whether Virbhadra Singh will contest or not.

Vikramaditya’s stand will also not be relished by many senior Congress ministers and leaders who too have been eyeing two Assembly segments, to accommodate their sons. Prominent among them are Transport Minister GS Bali, Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur and Excise Minister Prakash Chaudhary. In Punjab elections, the Congress had adhered to the one family-one ticket norm and barring Amarinder Singh, none from the Punjab Chief Minister’s family members were given the ticket.

Vikramaditya’s statement will come as a surprise to most as detractors of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, have already been running a campaign that only one person from one family should get the party ticket. This is being done in an apparent bid to stall the chances of Vikramaditya from making his electoral debut as he has set his eyes on Shimla (Rural), the segment presently represented by his father. In case he is accommodated, many others are hoping that their political heirs too will swim through.

“I am completely in favour of adopting the principle of one family-one ticket even though it is for the party high command to take a call”, he said. When asked who between him and his father would contest, all he said was that being Youth Congress president and having worked in Shimla (Rural) for the last four years he had made up his mind to contest, provided the party gives him the ticket.

“As far as Virbhadra Singh contesting the Assembly elections or not is concerned it is for the party high command to decide considering his stature and standing in the Congress,” he said without elaborating. In fact, Virbhadra on several occasions in the recent past has said that he will prefer not to contest and retire gracefully if he is not given a free hand in the party affairs.

It is a common knowledge that Transport Minister Bali is keen to make his son Raghubir Bali’s debut in electoral politics. The father-son duo are eying Nagrota Bagwan, represented by Bali and Kangra seat, where the family lives. Bali’s son had even applied to contest the last Lok Sabha election from the Kangra seat.

Ashray, grandson of former Telecommunication Minister Sukh Ram and son of Minister Anil Sharma, surprised everyone when earlier this week he threw his hat in the ring by stating that he was keen to contest from Seraj Assembly segment. It was being expected that his father would pave the way for his son but now there seems to be sudden change of mind.

Health Minister Kaul Singh, who represents Darang, is keen to get the ticket for his daughter Champa Thakur, Mandi Zila Parishad Chairman from Mandi (Sadar) or even Jogindernagar.

Bharmouri’s son, Amit Bharmouri is rearing to contest from Chamba while his father will stick to Bharmour. Prakash Chaudhray is keen to shift to Nachan so that he can make way for his son Simple, a former NSUI president, from his seat of Balh.