CPI (M) wins Theog seat from where Vidya Stokes' candidature was rejected

The seat was represented by Congress' Vidya Stokes in the outgoing house.

Himachal Pradesh's Theog assembly seat, which was supposed to be contested by veteran Congress leader Vidya Stokes, was won by CPI(M) candidate Rakesh Singha. Theog is the only seat won by the CPI (M) in 2017 assembly polls.

Singha had even contested from Theog in 2012 Assembly elections and got only 10,000 votes. This time, he was able to bag 24,791 votes while the runner up, Bharatiya Janata Party's Rakesh Verma could muster 22,808 votes.

The seat was represented by Congress' Vidya Stokes in the outgoing house. However, her nomination was rejected this time by the election commission due to "discrepancies" in documents.

The AICC had earlier given the ticket of Theog assembly constituency to Deepak Rathore, but at the last moment Stokes was asked to contest from this seat. Stokes is the MLA representing Theog in the outgoing assembly. Deepak Rathore stood third with just 9,101 votes, behind CPI (M) and BJP.

Stokes had earlier declined to re-contest from Theog as Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had expressed a desire to contest from the seat.

In 2012, CPI(M) won the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Shimla Municipal Corporation. The party's presence has been strong in and around Shimla, backed by its student's wing, which dominates the Himachal Pradesh University.

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