Electoral battle in Shimla: Siblings of six times Congress MP is in the fray

The electoral battle for Shimla reserve Lok Sabha seats likely to be a direct contest between Congress MLA Vinod Sultanpuri and two-times former MLA and BJP Member of Parliament Suresh Kashyap as both the mainstream parties announced to put them in the fray.

Shimla LS seats once remained a bastion of the Ruling Congress party is continue with BJP from 2009 onwards. Late Krishnadutt Sultanpuri six time Congress MP had retained Shimla Parliamentary continue since 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991,1996, and 1998. Himachal Vikas Congress and Congress candidate Dr Dhani Ram Shandil elected members of 1999 and 2005.

Virender Kashyap belonging to BJP elected from Shimla LS in the 2009 election and also won the 2014 general election from this seat. Vinod Sultanpuri who was elected member of the legislative assembly in the 2022 assembly elections is the son of KD Sultanpuri and the Congress party has decided to test him to regain its bastion after 15 yrs again. 

According to an AICC leader Congress conducted an internal survey among its organisations and Mr Vinod Sultanpuri was shortlisted party candidate however grand old party contemplated three other candidates for Shimla seat which includes Sohan Lal two time party former MLA from Kasumpti(Shimla), greenhorn BJP rebel Dayal Payri from Pachad( Sirmour) and Amit Nanda ( Jubbal -Kotkhai). Party is yet to make final announcement of Sultanpuri tomorrow.BJP member of LS Suresh Kashyap is retired from airforce and he remained BJP member of assembly from Pachad reserved seat of Pachad by winning 2012 and 2017 assembly elections. He won 2019 LS election with a margin of 3,27,515 votes against his nearest rival Col Dhani Ram Shandil of the Congress.

BJP also appointed him state party president after the resignation of BJP leader Rajiv Bindal in a corruption scam during the Covid pandemic. Shimla Parliamentary has 17 assembly constituencies including seven of Shimla, five each of Solan and Sirmour district. 

District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Shimla Anupam Kashyap said that for the successful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, a total of 4232 polling personnel to be deployed in the election including 1058 PRO, 1058 APRO, and 2116 PO.  Additionally, 20 percent of polling personnel would be kept in reserve.