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Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, November 18
Setting at rest all speculations regarding contesting Lok Sabha polls from Mandi Parliamentary constituency, former Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said that he would not contest the polls.
“My name has been sent from Mandi Parliamentary constituency but I am not interested in contesting the elections and would not contest the polls”, Singh said in informal chat with media persons at the closing function of a cricket tournament organised by Shimla Press Club here today.
The six-time Chief Minister, nine-time MLA and five-time MP, octogenarian Congress leader, Virbhadra Singh (84) said, “I have contested many elections and am no longer interested in entering the poll fray this time but would campaign for the candidates”.
“I am confident that the Congress would fare well in the Lok Sabha elections and the ruling BJP would have tough time as the BJP was losing ground”, he said and quipped that many BJP wickets will fall in assembly elections in five states while the Congress would perform very well.
The BJP had shown its best performance in Mandi districts in the 2017 Assembly elections and won nine out of 10 seats while the Congress drew a blank. The Congress lost ground in Mandi district after former Union Communication Minister Sukh Ram and his minister son Anil Sharma quit the Congress. Anil Sharma joined the BJP on the eve of the Assembly elections and is Cabinet minister in the BJP government.
Virbhadra won from Mandi in 1971, 1980 and 2009 but lost in 1977. His wife Pratibha Singh lost the Lok Sabha elections from Mandi in 1998 but won in 2004. Mandi is the second largest constituency in the state comprising all three tribal constituencies of Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and Bharmaur, 10 Assembly segments of Mandi and four Assembly segments of Kullu. At present 14 out of 17 segments of Mandi are represented by the BJP while the Congress has only two seats and one seat is with the independent.
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