Battle Lines Drawn in Himachal as Congress Announces Surprising Candidates

Shimla: In a surprising turn of events, the Indian National Congress has announced its candidates for the Kangra and Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituencies, setting the stage for an intriguing electoral showdown.

An unexpected move by the Congress sees Anand Sharma, a seasoned Rajya Sabha MP and the former Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha and former Commerce, and Industry Minister, stepping into the fray for the Lok Sabha seat, challenging Dr. Rajiv Bhardwaj of the BJP.

This decision adds a new layer of excitement to the contest, as Sharma has never before contested a Lok Sabha election.

Similarly, in Hamirpur, the Congress has fielded Satpal  Raizada against the BJP's three-time MP and Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Anurag Singh Thakur. Raizada, hailing from Una district  brings a fresh perspective to the race, making the competition all the more intriguing.

Meanwhile, Congress has already named Vikramaditya  Singh for the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and  Vinod Sultanpuri for the Shimla Reserved constituency.

They will go head-to-head against BJP candidates, including Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut in Mandi and the incumbent MP Suresh Kashyap in Shimla Reserved.

With these announcements, the battle lines have been drawn, and the Election Commission of India is expected to release the date notification in the first week of May.

As Himachal braces for a hotly contested election, all eyes are on the candidates as they gear up for the upcoming electoral challenge.