YOUNG TURKS FIGHT IT OUT IN HP POLLS
Vikramaditya Singh, 29
Party: Congress
Constituency: Shimla rural Vikramaditya Singh is contesting from a constituency represented by his father and outgoing CM, Virbhadra Singh. He was elected Himachal Youth Congress president in 2012 but the election was declared void. He was re-elected in 2013. His ticket was confirmed in the third list. Just before the polls were announced, Virbhadra shifted out of Shimla (rural)
Ashish Butail, 37
Party: Congress Constituency: Palampur Ashish Butail will look to carry fprward his father’s political legacy. His father and outgoing speaker, Brij Behari Lal Butail, was the richest candidate in the last elections. His uncle earlier represented the assembly segment. An alumnus of Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, Ashish is a commerce graduate. He was elected Kangra Youth Congress president in 2013
Champa Thakur, 43
Party: Congress
Constituency: Mandi Sadar The daughter of eight-time Congress MLA and outgoing health minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Champa is the Mandi zila parishad chairperson. She will fight former Congress minister Anil Sharma, son of veteran politician Sukh Ram, who is contesting on a BJP ticket. Her name was finalised in the third list as the party made an exception to its one-family-one-ticket rule.
Lokender Loki, 29
Party: CPM Constituency: Anni Lokender Loki’s journey to the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate from Anni assembly segment began from student activism. Loki shot into limelight when he was elected vice-president of the Himachal Pradesh University Students’ Council in 2011. For the next few years, he was the face of the student movement against a fee hike at the HP University
Surender Shauri, 37
Party: BJP Constituency: Banjar A former Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activist, Surender Shauri is a zila parishad representative in Kullu district. He started his campaign months ago by visiting each village of the constituency. He trounced former BJP state president and former minister Khimi Ram in the race for the ticket. Shauri is banking on youth votes and the Modi wave. He was a part of the ABVP’s panel that studied Bangladeshi infiltration
Shashibala, 35
Party: BJP Constituency: Rohru The BJP fielded Shashibala from Rohru against sitting Congress legislator Mohan Lal Brakta. The constituency was earlier represented by CM Virbhadra Singh and was traditionally a Congress stronghold. Shashibala will rely on the aam aadmi (common man) card and especially reach out to women. An outspoken leader, she is backed by all BJP factions. She reminds voters that she is well aware of their problems