M A I N   N E W S

Virbhadra men dominate list
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 31
Loyalists of former Chief Minister dominate the list of Congress candidates cleared by the party’s Central Election Committee yesterday.

Sources said the list, which is to be approved by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, has recommended names of 61 candidates. The decision has been kept pending on seven seats.

Senior Congress leaders met at the residence of Mrs Gandhi this evening to decide candidates on the seven remaining seats. Before declaring the candidates, the leaders were also reviewing the choice on each seat in terms of local caste balance.

The seats kept pending include Shimla, Ghumarwin, Theog, Balh, Thural, Kasuali and Santokhgarh.

Sources said 37 loyalists of Mr Virbhadra Singh find a place in the list finalised after yesterday’s five-hour meeting of the CEC. Mr Virbhadra Singh has also been successful in pleading the case for tickets of most of the sitting MLAs. The list has about 12 new faces.

Sources said the list finalised by the CEC includes Mr Jagat Singh Negi (Kinnaur), Mr Singhi Ram (Rampur), Virbhadra Singh (Rohru), Rohit Thakur (Jubbal-Kotkhai), Mr Yogendra Chandra (Chopal), Mrs Vidya Stokes (Kumarsain), Mr Chiranji Lal Kashyap (Kasumpti), Mr Dharam Pal (Arki), Mr Lajja Ram (Doon), Ms Sukriti Kumari (Nalagarh), Ms Krishna Mohini (Solan), Mr Gangu Ram Musafir (Pachhad), Dr Prem Singh (Renuka, Mr Harshvardhan Chauhan (Shillai), Mr Rattan Singh (Paonta-Doon), Mr Kush Parmar (Nahan), Mr Ram Lal Thakur (Kot Kehloor), Mr Tilak Raj Sharma (Bilaspur), Ms Roop Rani (Geharwin), Mr Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Nadaun), Ms Anita Verma (Hamirpur), Mr Kuldeep Singh (Bamsan), Mr Suresh Kumar (Mewa), Ms Vidya Zar (Nadaunta), Mr Kuldeep Kumar (Gagret), Mr Rakesh Kalia (Chintpurni), Mr Virender Gautam (Una), Ms Saroj Thakur (Kutlehar), Mr Sat Mahajan (Nurpur), Mr Bodh Raj (Gangath), Mr Sujan Singh Pathania (Jawali), Mr Chander Kumar (Guler), Ms Viplove Thakur (Jaswan), Mr Pradeep Kumar (Paragpur), Mr Kewal Singh (Jawalamukhi), Mr M R Goma (Rajgir), Mr Sudhir Sharma (Baijnath), Mr Brij Bhihari Lal Butail (Palampur), Mr Jagjiwan Pal (Sulah), Mr G S Bali (Nagrota), Ms Chandresh Kumari (Dharamsala), Major Vijay Sigh Mankotia (Shahpur), Mr B D Chaudhary (Kangra), Mr Shiv Kumar (Bhattiyat), Ms Asha Kumari (Banikhet), Mr Surender Kumar Bhardwaj (Rajnagar), Mr Harsh Mahajan (Chamba), Mr Thakur Singh Bharmouri (Bharmaur), Mr Raghuvir Singh (Lahaul-Spiti). Mr Raj Kishan Gaur (Kullu), Mr Satya Prakash Thakur (Banjar), Mr Ishwar Dass (Ani), Mr Mast Ram (Karsog), Mr Chet Ram (Chachiot), Mr Tek Chand Dogra (Nachan), Mr Sohan Lal (Sundernagar), Mr Rangila Ram Rao (Gopalpur), Mr Natha Singh (Dharampur), Mr Surender Kumar (Jogindernagar), Mr Kaul Singh (Drang), and Mr Durga Datt Thakur (Mandi).

“Tampering” of HP list
AICC shocked, action likely
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 31
Congress President Sonia Gandhi has taken a serious note of ‘tampering’ with the records of the scrutiny committee meeting on issuing of party ticket in Himachal Pradesh by some leaders of the Pradesh Congress Committee. She is likely to take action in the matter after the completion of electoral process in the state.

The ‘tampering’, which forced reconvening of the screening committee meeting yesterday, has shocked senior party leaders. Sources said that the screening committee, which is headed by Dr Manmohan Singh, was asked by Mrs Sonia Gandhi to meet again yesterday following complaints of tampering by supporters of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. They alleged that names for about 40 seats, finalised by the scrutiny committee in presence of Congress Working Committee member R K Dhawan, had been tampered with.

Besides Mr Dhawan, Mr Virbhadra Singh, PCC Chief Vidya Stokes, Ms Chandresh Kumari and Mr Anand Sharma were members of the scrutiny committee that made recommendations to the screening committee.

Sources said that Mr Virbhadra Singh met his close associates at Himachal Bhavan after the Wednesday’s meeting of the screening committee during which the ‘‘fraud was discovered.’’

Soon after, the supporters of Mr Virbhadra Singh lodged a protest with the party high command. However, Mr Virbhadra Singh today said that he had ‘no complaints’ regarding distribution of party ticket for Himachal Pradesh elections but ‘‘there always was scope for improvement.’’

Taking a serious view of the complaint, the high command summoned senior leaders to the AICC late on Wednesday evening. The meeting at the AICC office was attended by Ms Mohsina Kidwai, who is general secretary in charge of Himachal Pradesh, besides Ms Ambika Soni, Mr Motilal Vora and Mr Ahmed Patel.

The AICC leaders spent most of the Wednesday night ‘rectifying’ the ‘tampered records’ and after consultations with Dr Manmohan Singh, decided to re-convene the meeting of the screening committee yesterday.