Strict action on campaigning against party candidates: Viplove

Una, Dec 10 (UNI) Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Viplove Thakur today warned of strict action against those party workers who are working against the official candidates in the assembly elections.

Addressing mediapersons here, she said the party was keeping a close watch on all the constituencies of the state and monitoring the activities of its activists.

Ms Viplove said she was personally against the allocation of tickets to those sitting legislators who had contested against the Congress candidates during the last elections.

Four former Congressmen had won the last elections as independents after being denied Congress ticket, but were named the party's associate members in the HP Vidhan Sabha.

However, she said, was the prerogative of the party high command to allocate tickets to persons who it deems were winning candidates.

The state Congress president said the BJP had no issues to raise during these elections as there had been unprecedented development in the state during the Congress government's tenure.

Price rise has also failed to be an issue in the elections due to the Rs 100 crore food subsidy, which had offset any increase in the prices of essential commodities, she added.

Expressing confidence, she said the Congress party would return back to power with a thumping majority.

Earlier, she held a meeting of all the five block Congress presidents along with the district party organisation for AICC president Sonia Gandhi's Una rally on 15 December.

She said that Ms Gandhi would address a public meetings at Rehan in Kangra district and at Mandi tomorrow, while addressing meetings at Una and Shimla on December 14.

The HPCC president said the Una rally would be held at Indira stadium.

As part of the election campaign, Prime Minister Manmhan Singh would also address two public meetings at Palampur and Kullu on 17 December, she added.

Replying to a question, she said the Congress party's manifesto for the Assembly elections would be released on December 13.

UNI