CHANDIGARH : Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh may again be fielded from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency where the BJP has named Kangana Ranaut as its candidate, according to party leaders.
The coordination committee has shortlisted Pratibha Singh, the incumbent Mandi MP, for the seat, party sources said, though she had earlier expressed her unwillingness to contest Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress is likely to pit Una MLA Satpal Raizada against BJP MP and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on the Hamirpur seat.
Sources said that the first meeting of the coordination committee of the Congress was held in Chandigarh on Wednesday in which AICC in-charge of Himachal Rajeev Shukla, Pratibha Singh and CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were present. A consensus was reached on the candidature of Pratibha and Raizada, the sources said.
The second meeting of the committee will be held in Delhi on April 5 or 6. After that, central election committee of the Congress will take the final decision and the party will announce all the candidates before April 10, leaders familiar with the matter said.
It is learnt that the Congress might field some BJP rebels in the assembly bypolls to be held for six seats. The BJP has fielded the six Congress rebels, who joined the BJP, for the bypolls.
According to sources, the Congress is yet to shortlist candidates for Shimla and Kangra seats. The names of Asha Kumari and Sanjeev Chuahan are doing the rounds for Kangra. Amit Nanda, Vinod Sultanpuri and Dayal Pyari are in the party panel for Shimla.
L-G orders probe
Delh Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has sought a detailed investigation report from Delhi Police commissioner Sanjay Arora in connection with an allegedly derogatory social media post made by Congress leader Supriya Shrinate against actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, Raj Niwas officials said on Thursday. A controversial comment was posted on social media platforms from Shrinate’s accounts against Ranaut, who has been fielded by the ruling BJP as its candidate from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
On party’s command
Days after announcing her decision to not seek re-election from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh on Thursday said if the party’s central leadership wanted her to contest from the seat, she would follow their directions. “If the central leadership of the Congress asks me to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Mandi seat, I will follow their directions. I have always followed what the high command said and now too I will do what they say,” she said.