Congress keen on fielding Pratibha Singh from Mandi

A month after the Congress lost its Himachal face, six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh, the party is planning to field his wife, Pratibha Singh, from Mandi parliamentary seat, which fell vacant on March 17 after the demise of member of Parliament Ram Swaroop Sharma

A month after the Congress lost its Himachal face, six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh, the party is planning to field his wife, Pratibha Singh, from Mandi parliamentary seat, which fell vacant on March 17 after the demise of member of Parliament Ram Swaroop Sharma.

Mandi has long remained Virbhadra’s turf; Pratibha has also represented the constituency twice—the first in 2004 and again in 2013. (HT Photo)

The plan to field Pratibha Singh from the seat, which she had won in 2004 and again in 2013, was discussed during a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party at the Vidhan Sabha premises on Thursday morning.

Congress had formed a panel comprising senior legislators Mukesh Agnihotri, Shillai MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan, Rampur MLA Nand Lal, Naina Devi MLA Ram Lal Thakur, Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi and other, to decide on the seat.

Mandi has remained Virbhadra’s turf for long. After making it to the Lok Sabha for the first time after winning the Mahasu Parliamentary seat in 1962 and then again in 1967, Virbhadra had switched to the Mandi in 1971 and registered a win. He, however, lost from the seat in 1977 but was again elected from the constituency in 1980 and later in 2009.

After Virbhadra’s death on July 8 due to post-Covid complications, the Congress had invited to Pratibha to contest from Arki, the assembly constituency which he represented. Pratibha had neither given her assent nor refused the offer as the family was still weighing the options.

Party reviews preparations in Arki

Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Sanjay Dutt held a review meeting with block Congress office-bearers and workers in Arki on Thursday to review the party’s preparations for the byelections. He exhorted the party workers to work in unity to ensure the victory of the Congress candidate, and said, “Virbhadra Singh played an important part in the development of the state, which can never be forgotten. We have to uphold the work done by him. This will be our true tribute to the Congress and the people of this region,” he said.