Virbhadra’s son debarred from fighting Youth Cong polls

Union minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya has been debarred from contesting the Youth Congress elections for “violating the model code of conduct and disturbing the level-playing field” during the 2011 organisational polls in Himachal Pradesh.

Union minister Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya has been debarred from contesting the Youth Congress elections for “violating the model code of conduct and disturbing the level-playing field” during the 2011 organisational polls in Himachal Pradesh.

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The Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections (FAME), an NGO that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi had roped in to ensure free and fair polls in Youth Congress, also declared the state polls as “null and void”.

In the polls in November last year, Vikramaditya, 22, had polled 5,919 votes while his nearest rival Raghubir Bali, son of former minister GS Bali, secured 2,343 votes.

A shocked Vikramaditya termed the decision “grossly unfair, unjust and completely against the principles of natural justice”.

“I am inclined to believe that this decision is premeditated and is a result of deep conspiracy against me,” Vikramaditya said while expressing hope that he will get justice from Gandhi.

The move is bound to provoke angry reactions from the supporters of Virbhadra Singh, a five-time chief minister of the hill state, which goes to assembly polls later this year.

This is for the first time that any state elections in the Youth Congress have been declared invalid since Gandhi initiated the democratisation process in the organisation in 2008.