Shimla: Ahead of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, the Election Commission has taken cognizance of the Congress's demand to increase the security of Congress party's state president and MP Pratibha Singh and his son Vikramaditya Singh.
A letter was sent to the State Election Commission on behalf of Pranay Pratap Singh, working president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress, and also to the Law Department and Human Rights Department in view of the threat from Khalistani elements.
The EC had written to the Director General of Police in Himachal Pradesh, who is expected to issue directions, in this regard in the coming days. Pratibha Singh and Vikramaditya Singh are scheduled to address election rallies in the coming days. The voting for the 68 assembly seats in the hill state is scheduled to take place on November 12 while the counting will occur on December 8.
Also read: Cong to release first list of 57 candidates for Himachal polls
In the Assembly, the BJP currently has 43 members followed by 22 Congress. There are two Independents and one CPM MLA. A direct contest between the BJP and the Congress is likely in the state where the Aam Aadmi Party will also be trying its luck. A notification for the elections will be issued on October 17 and the last date for filing nominations is October 25. Scrutiny of papers will be held on October 27 and the last date for the withdrawal of papers will be October 29. As many as 55,74,793 people are eligible to vote in the polls.
