Himachal Pradesh elections: 95 nominations filed on penultimate day

Shimla: As many as 95 nominations were filed on Saturday for the November 9 Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls. With this, the total number of nominations filed for the polls so far has gone up to 195.

The last day for filing nominations is October 23. There will be no nomination filing tomorrow (Sunday).

Twenty-three candidates, including state Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala), Congress rebel Vijay Singh Mankotia (Shahpur) and former ministers Romesh Dhawala (Jawalamukhi) and Sarveen Chowdhary (Shahpur), filed their nominations from Kangra district.

Fifteen candidates entered the fray from Mandi district, eleven nominees, including state Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri (Haroli) and state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti (Una), filed nominations from Una district, 10 from Shimla district, seven from Chamba, six each from Solan, Hamirpur and Chamba districts, five from Sirmaur and four from Bilaspur district.

Thirty-two independents and covering candidates also filed nominations on the fifth day.

The Congress has so far not announced the names of its candidates in nine constituencies. Veteran Congress leader and Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes (89), who was the likely candidate of the party from Theog, was suddenly taken ill and rushed to the Fortis Hospital at Mohali today.

Stokes had left the seat for Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and after the latter chose to contest the upcoming polls from Arki, she again staked her claim from Theog.