Lok Sabha elections: Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh not to contest from Mandi; suggests Kaul Singh Thakur’s name

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], March 20 (ANI): In a setback to the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, state party Chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh on Wednesday announced not to contest the Lok Sabha elections from her parliamentary seat, saying that her focus is to make the party win in the by-elections for six seats which fell vacant after party legislators cross-voted in the recently concluded Rajya Sabha elections.

Speaking to ANI, the Himachal PCC Chief said that she has suggested the name of Kaul Singh Thakur for Mandi to the party high command.

“We have a new challenge in front of us in the form of six MLAs who have been suspended from the party. By-elections are going to be held on these six seats and we must win on all, and it is my responsibility to make them win. This is why I withdrew my candidature from Mandi… The situation was very different earlier,” she said.

Singh also said that Kaul Singh Thakur is well known in the area and also has a good understanding of the ground.

“Winning the Lok Sabha elections was the priority of the party for which, I have visited Mandi multiple times and I am well aware of all nooks and corners of my constituency… I have suggested the name of Kaul Singh Thakur for Mandi as he is well known in the area and also has a good understanding of the ground,” the Congress MP said.

The six seats fell vacant after the Congress legislators, who had cross-voted in the recent Rajya Sabha elections, also defied the party whip on voting for the state budget in the assembly.

Himachal Pradesh has four Lok Sabha seats — Hamirpur, Mandi, Shimla, and Kangra. The BJP had won all four seats in 2019. Later, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s wife Pratibha Singh snatched Mandi from the BJP in a bypoll necessitated in 2021 following the death of incumbent MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.

The bypolls to six Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, fallen vacant following the disqualification of Congress MLAs, will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls on June 1, state’s Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg said earlier. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.