New Delhi/Shimla, Oct 6
Former Himachal chief minister Virbhadra Singh is among the 51 candidates whose names were cleared for next month’s Assembly polls in the state by the Congress Central Election Committee today.

Virbhadra Singh, who is the Himachal Pradesh Congress president, will contest from Shimla (rural) while CLP leader Vidya Stokes is the party’s nominee from Theog. Others whose names have been cleared are state Congress unit ex-chief Kaul Singh (Darang), Asha Kumari (Dalhousie), GS Bali (Nagrota) and Ajay Mahajan (Noorpur).