Cong to field strong grassroots leaders in Shimla municipal poll

Shimla, February 16

The Congress has decided to tread cautiously to ensure victory in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) election. CWC member Rajeev Shukla today said that only strong grassroot level leaders with winning chances should be fielded, leaving no scope for nepotism or factionalism.

Shukla chaired a meeting of the party MLAs and the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) office-bearers in Chandigarh. He said that there should be no scope for nepotism or factionalism in ticket allocation, which could mar the party’s winning prospects.

AICC co-incharge Sanjay Dutt, HPCC president Kuldeep Rathore and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri attended the meeting. The legislators, who attended the meeting, included Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Nand Lal, Mohan Lal Brakta, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Anirudh Singh, Rajinder Rana and Vikramaditya Singh. “The Shimla MC election is important for the party, as it will send a strong signal as to who will win the Assembly elections due later this year,” Shukla said. The heads of the party frontal organisations also attended the meeting.

The election to the Shimla MC can be held in the next two or three months. Otherwise considered a stronghold of the Congress, the Shimla MC is at present is ruled by the BJP.

Shukla said the party must fight the MC elections unitedly to defeat the BJP. “All leaders and office-bearers must perform the responsibilities entrusted to them with sincerity and dedication without discrimination against any candidate,” he said.

Rathore said that the party was fully geared up for the MC election. “The Congress has been strengthened in the state. We will highlight the failures and anti-people decisions of the BJP government,” he added.

Agnihotri cautioned the party workers not to be overconfident after the victory in the four byelections.