Virbhadra files papers from Arki, ‘opted for seat that Cong has not won in 2 decades’

Virbhadra was accompanied by his wife and former MP Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh filed his nomination papers from Arki Vidhan Sabha constituency in Solan district on Friday morning.

Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh displaying a sword presented by Congress workers at a public meeting after filing his nominations for the November 9 Vidhan Sabha elections, in Arki constituency in Solan district on Friday. (Deepak Sansta/HT)

Virbhadra was accompanied by his wife and former MP Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh. The family reached the sub-divisional magistrate’s office at Arki at 11.30am where Congress workers were present to welcome them. He submitted his papers to returning officer Isha Thakur.

“I had announced that I will be contesting from a seat where the Congress has not been able to win for the past two decades,” Virbhadra told reporters at Arki.

The BJP has been winning Arki for the past two elections.

He is hopeful that Vikramaditya will get to contest from Shimla Rural, which he represented. There was speculation that he would contest from Theog after sitting MLA Vidya Stokes offered him the seat and opted out of the elections.

But after a meeting on ticket allocation in Delhi on Wednesday, the Congress decided to field Virbhadra from Arki.

Talks are on to decide on the party candidate for Theog and Shimla Rural. They are among the nine seats whose candidates are yet to be named.