Rajya Sabha MP and BJP leader Shanta Kumar is all set to contest Lok Sabha polls from Kangra constituency.
The state election committees of BJP has recommended Kumar to contest from Kangra, presently represented by suspended BJP MP Rajan Sushant, party sources said.
Kumar, a sitting Rajya Sabha member, had earlier said he would quit electoral politics but senior party leaders have persuaded him to contest the polls as there was no other leader of his stature in the party, the sources said.
The state election committee has also recommended Lok Sabha MPs Anurag Thakur and Varinder Kashyap to contest from Hamirpur and Shimla (reserve) constituencies respectively, they said.
Brig (Retd) Kushal Singh, Ram Swaroop, Gobind Thakur and Ajay Rana have been recommended for Mandi seat, presently represented by Pratibha Singh (Congress), wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who was seeking reelection from this constituency.
The State Congress election committee has recommended the names of Pratibha Singh and Chander Kumar from Mandi and Shimla (reserve) constituencies respectively, but was undecided on candidates Hamirpur constituency.
Mohan Lal Brakata, sitting MLA from Rohroo, who had won by a huge margin of over 27,000 votes, is a front runner from Shimla but his name has been clubbed with Vinod Sultanpuri, who lost the assembly polls from Kasauli by 24 votes.
From Hamirpur, Independent MLA Rajinder Rana, who had won by over 14,000 votes from Sujanpur in stronghold of BJP, is a strong contender but his name is being opposed by some local leaders of the district.
