The Hindu : National : Sonia’s “santri” wins in Himachal Pradesh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 29, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Sonia’s “santri” wins in Himachal Pradesh

Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI: Congress candidate Anil Sharma, son of the former Union Communications Minister, Sukh Ram, won the Mandi (Sadar) seat in Himachal Pradesh defeating D.D. Thakur of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

But Ajay Mahajan, son of State Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan, was not so lucky. He lost to BJP rebel and Independent candidate Rakesh Pathania in Nurpur, which was once represented by his father.

While former commando Nand Lal, who once guarded Congress president Sonia Gandhi, won, Prakash Chand Karad, son of Padam Ram, who served as a cook with the Gandhi family, lost.

Mr. Lal, who was nicknamed “Sonia ka santri” (Sonia’s guard), hit the bull’s eye, bagging the reserved Rampur seat in Shimla district. He was fielded by the Congress in the place of Horticulture Minister and six-time legislator Singhi Ram. Mr. Lal, who quit as DIG (ITBP) two months ago to enter the electoral fray, beat the BJP’s Brij Lal by 6,000 votes.

Mr. Karad, 37, elbowed out veteran Congress leader and Deputy Speaker Dharampal Thakur to get the party nomination for the Arki seat. However, he finished third.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National