YC chief’s fate hangs in balance, final list today

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 20

The fate of Vikramaditya Singh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s son, continued to hang in balance today with Congress President Sonia Gandhi yet to take a call on whether to field two candidates of one political family.

The final list comprising nominees for nine pending seats will be released tomorrow after a meeting between the Congress top brass, the party’s state office-bearers and members of the screening committee.

Himachal Youth Congress chief Vikramaditya Singh has been working in Shimla Rural constituency, his father’s traditional seat, for months now and is expecting to be named.

It’s not clear if the party will field him or senior minister Kaul Singh Thakur’s daughter Champa who is seeking a ticket from Mandi.

The decision on Palampur is pending in the wake of two ticket seekers from one family. Although the sitting MLA from here and Himachal Speaker BB Butel dropped out of the race in favour of his son Ashish, there’s a problem.

Butel’s nephew Gokul Butel, IT adviser to CM Virbhadra Singh, is also eyeing this seat. Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on the tussle.

Theog is all clear with eight time MLA Vidya Stokes set to re-contest from here after the CM decided to drop Theog and fight from Arki.

Nalagarh has two probables – Baba Hardip backed by the CM and another candidate said to be backed by Himachal Congress chief Sukhwinder Sukhu.In Kullu, AICC general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde is learnt to be supporting a candidate but the matter is stuck on winnability with the CM making his own proposals.

Importantly, the Congress had mulled fielding Vijay Singh Mankotia from Shahpur but that doesn’t appear to be working out due to a continuing rivalry between Mankotia and the CM.

Expects to be named

Himachal Youth Congress chief Vikramaditya Singh has been working in Shimla Rural constituency, his father’s traditional seat, for months now and is expecting to be named. It’s not clear if the party will field him or senior minister Kaul Singh Thakur’s daughter Champa who is seeking a ticket from Mandi.