Vikramaditya’s ticket holds up Cong list of 9

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 21

The Congress today again delayed the declaration of nine pending candidates for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections with no official word yet on who will contest from Shimla-Rural, the seat that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh vacated for his son Vikramaditya Singh. Monday is the last date for filing nominations.

Although Vikramaditya has been campaigning in the segment for months, having hired a professional marketing firm, the Congress is yet to declare his candidature. Sources say Congress president Sonia Gandhi is yet to take a call on whether to implement the “one family, one ticket” rule in Himachal, as the party did in Punjab recently.

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“It has been left to the party chief to decide on this seat and the Mandi seat,” said a source, a clear indication that the party will not reveal its cards till the last minute to avoid potential desertions.

The delay is causing anxiety in the CM camp with Vikramaditya camping in Delhi till late tonight. He had to earlier cancel filing his papers on October 20, an “auspicious” date. Mandi is being sought by senior leader Kaul Singh Thakur for his daughter, who filed her papers today anyway.