Virbhadra’s wife to fight Sukh Ram for Mandi seat

SHIMLA, December 27: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh's wife Pratibha Singh will be the Congress candidate for the prestigio...

SHIMLA, December 27: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh will be the Congress candidate for the prestigious Mandi parliamentary constituency while B.R. Rahi, a relative newcomer and Himachal Teachers’ Union president, has been chosen to contest from the Hamirpur constituency.

The Pradesh Election Committee, which met here this morning to finalise the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, decided to field Pratibha from Mandi to face former Union Communications Minister Sukh Ram. There would, however, be no change in the candidates for the Shimla (Reserved) and Kangra parliamentary constituencies. The committee cleared the names of five-time winner K.D. Sultanpuri for Shimla and former PCC president Sat Mahajan for Kangra.

The Chief Minister’s wife, in fact, had emerged as a unanimous choice after Assembly Speaker Kaul Singh declined to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Some other senior partymen, including Rangila Ram Rao, Industries Minister, were also not willing to contest.

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However, Gen Vikram Singh, who successfully contested the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat in 1996 defeating State BJP president Prem Kumar Dhumal has been dropped.

In his place, the party has tried to surprise the BJP by fielding Rahi, a Brahmin. Rahi had applied for the party ticket apparently on the advice of Virbhadra Singh and by deciding in his favour the Chief Minister has tried to woo the employees’ lobby. In Hamirpur, the ex-Servicemen lobby and OBCs are dominant factors. The party wanted N.C. Prashar, Education Minister and former MP, to contest as he belonged to the OBC category but he opted for the Assembly seat.

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