Virbhadra Singh shifts to Arki, stokes opts out

NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will contest the elections from Arki. Singh along with many party seniors, including PCC chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, figure in the first list of 59 Congress candidates announced by AICC on Wednesday night. Singh recently said he will vacate his sitting Shimla (rural) seat in favour of his son Vikramaditya. Candidates for the remaining nine seats, including Shimla (Rural), are slated to be announced in a day or two. Other senior Congress leaders in the first list include Rajya Sabha member Kaul Singh Thakur, AICC secretary Asha Kumari, senior minister GS Bali. Party veteran Vidya Stokes opted out of contest by announcing retirement from electoral politics.

The list clearly shows Virbhadra Singh managing to get tickets for most of his nominees even as AICC also accommodated some representatives of the rival faction. The Congress High Command has already announced the six-term CM as its party’s chief ministerial candidate.