Shimla, Oct 19: Congress has finalised the list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections. Names of 46 candidates released by AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik on Tuesday evening. It is reported that party will be announcing the final list of remaining 22 seats on November 12.
The list has the names of all the legislators barring four-time Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi. A decision on this tribal seat is still pending as State Youth Congress President Nigam Bhandari has staked claim for the ticket.
There were heated exchanges between state Congress leaders including former union minister Anand Sharma, state Congress president Pratibha Singh, CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri and chairman of campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu at the Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to get a lion’s share of tickets for their supporters. The list has three women candidates including sitting MLA from Banikhet, Asha Kumari. Caste and regional equations have been taken into consideration while finalizing the names.
Going solely by the winnability criteria, Congress has not shown abhorrence towards dynastic politics as former minister Kaul Singh Thakur (Darang) and his daughter Champa Thakur (Mandi Sadar) have been given tickets from Mandi district.
The seats on which the party is having a tough time deciding the candidates include Shimla (Urban) where there are 40 applicants and Bharmour (Chamba) where the tussle for ticket is on between former Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri and Youth Congress General Secretary Amit Bharmouri. Another prominent omission in the list is former minister Gangu Ram Muasfir from Pachhad in Sirmaur as the party chose to field Dyal Pyari, a former BJP rebel, who contested as an independent in 2017, and has switched sides.
Interestingly, Congress has held back a decision on the Jwalamukhi and Dehra seats in Kangra, where the possibility of five-time MLA Ravinder Singh Ravi and former minister Ramesh Dhawala switching sides if denied a ticket by the BJP remains open. The BJP is yet to release its official list of candidates.
#HIMACHAL PRADESH ASSEMBLY ELECTION #CONGRESS LIST ANNOUNCED #BJP #AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik #Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi #State Youth Congress President Nigam Bhandari
