Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha changes stance, says will contest from Mandi if high command directs

Shimla: Days after announcing her decision to not seek re-election from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh on Thursday said if the party's central leadership wanted her to contest from the seat, she would follow their directions.

Her change in stance came about after a meeting of the six-member committee constituted by the Congress to ensure better coordination, chalk out the strategy and discuss the names of probable Lok Sabha candidates from the hill state was held in Chandigarh on Wednesday.

"If the central leadership of the Congress gives me the command to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Mandi seat, I will follow their directions," she told PTI on Thursday.

"I have always followed what the high command said and now also I will follow what they say," she added.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Congress incharge for the state Rajeev Shukla are of the opinion that I should contest the Lok Sabha elections, she said, adding "I put my problems and difficulties in front of them."

"We will work as per the directions of the high command," Singh, the wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh and the mother of Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, maintained.

"For a long time I have been saying that the workers who worked hard day and night for the victory of the party (in the assembly polls) should be suitably accommodated and now the CM has given some responsibilities to the workers and I want the message to spread that Congress promotes its workers," she said.

She asserted that in the last assembly polls the people gave the mandate to the Congress and the party-led government would complete its five-year term.

Last week, Singh announced that she had decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Mandi as the ground situation was 'not favourable' and workers were disheartened.

"I have withdrawn my name and conveyed to the high command that I will not contest the elections and would fully support any candidate which the party central leaders consider suitable," she had said then.

Polls are very crucial for the survival of the government and if she remains confined to the Mandi parliamentary constituency only, she will not be able to discharge her responsibility of campaigning in the by-elections and ensure victory of the party candidates, she had maintained.

Polling for the four parliamentary seats and six Assembly by-elections in Himachal Pradesh is scheduled to be held on June 1. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.