CONG SCOUTING FOR ELECTION CANDIDATES IN HP, CEC TO MEET ON APRIL 6

Although the Congress saved its government in Himachal Pradesh after a rebellion against chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s regime, the grand old party is scouting for the candidates for the bypolls in six assembly seats and four Lok Sabha candidates. The Bharatiya Janata Party has already named candidates on all the seats.

The Congress screening committee will meet on April 6 in New Delhi to decide on the candidates for the four Lok Sabha seats, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi and Shimla. The BJP has already declared Union minister Anurag Thakur as its candidate from Hamirpur, Suresh Kashyap from Shimla, Rajiv Bhardwaj from Kangra and Kangana Ranaut from Mandi. It has names six Congress rebels, now disqualified, from their respective assembly constituencies.

Sukhu and Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh will attend the meeting in New Delhi.

He has convened a meeting in Shimla to seek feedback on the candidates. Names of the Congress leader Dayal Pyari and Amit Nanda are doing rounds and the party is also in touch with former BJP MP Virender Kashyap, party insiders privy to the developments said.

Public works minister Vikramaditya Singh, who is in-charge for Mandi parliamentary constituency, will hold a meeting with workers in Mandi on April 3. Pratibha Singh, after her initial reluctance to enter the poll fray, has seemingly agreed to contest elections from Mandi.

In Hamirpur, former legislator Satpal Raizada is being seen as a potential candidate against Anurag. In Kangra, Congress is mulling the name of former education minister Asha Kumari.HTC