Bypoll: Congress may field Virbhadra's wife from Mandi

Shimla: In order to put its best foot forward, Congress is actively considering fielding Pratibha Singh, two-time MP and wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh from Mandi Parliamentary seat in the upcoming bypoll, likely to be announced next month.

A four-member Congress committee set-up by the AICC incharge Rajeev Shukla for finding the best probable candidates has suggested asking Pratibha Singh to contest the poll to swim on the sympathy factor following demise of party's towering leader Virbhadra Singh on July 8.

In fact, the demise of Virbhadra Singh has completely changed the political scene in the state as he was always seen as a hope to bring the party back to power after every five years of the BJP. Right now, the Congress is only eyeing to encash on legacy of the party legend.

"She (Pratibha Singh) will be the strongest candidate as apart from strategy, it's sympathy which will work for the family of Virbhadra Singh–who remained a mass based leader and his popularity being at the peak in the state," said a senior PCC leader.

Virbhadra Singh had won the Mandi Lok Sabha seat five times including 2009 poll when he was also inducted as cabinet minister in UPA-II.

The committee headed by Congress Legislature Party leader Mukesh Agnihotri had former PCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu, six-time MLA Asha Kumari and former minister Gangu Ram Musafir as its members.

The committee held one to one meeting with district Congress presidents of Mandi, Kullu, Shimla, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur and there was almost a consensus to ask Pratibha Singh to contest the election.

Pratibha Singh had in 2014 lost to Ram Swaroop Sharma, a two-time MP, who banked mainly on the Modi wave in the country. Sharma had died last year as he committed suicide at his residence in New Delhi.

Informed sources said the Committee though has also kept an option to field Kaul Singh Thakur, a senior Congress leader and former Speaker in case Pratibha Singh or Virbhadra Singh's family declines to contest from Mandi.

There are also chances that Pratibha Singh may step into the shoes of her husband in Arki (Solan), a seat former Chief Minister had won in the 2017 poll after he had vacated his own seat of Shimla (Rural) for his son Vikramaditya Singh.

The BJP has been much ahead of the Congress in terms of preparedness for the poll as having held series of brainstorming sessions with party's top leaders including national vice-President Saudhan Singh. The BJP also has abundant resources at its command for the polls as compared to the Congress –which is completely disarray, neither having a leader with state wide appeal not finances to fund the poll.

The BJP has been weighing options to put a heavy weight like sitting cabinet minister Mohender Singh Thakur for Mandi, though officially he has been appointed as poll incharge for the party in the constituency.

There are three other bypolls for the Assembly seats of Jubbal-Kotkhai, Fatehpur and Arki.