Himachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2017: Jitendra Singh-led panel to screen candidates for Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday set up a three-member screening committee headed by former MP Jitendra Singh to zero down on candidates for the upcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly election. The panel will screen the Congress candidates for all 68 Assembly constituencies, before their names are approved and recommended by the state election committee for the final nod from the party leadership. [caption id=“attachment_4139431” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Jitendra Singh. PTI[/caption] “Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the screening committee for the forthcoming Himachal Pradesh Assembly election, with former MP Jitendra Singh as its chairman and Vijay Inder Singla and Gaurav Gogoi as its members,” Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement. The Election Commission had on Thursday declared the dates for the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh which will be held in a single phase on 9 November and the results will be declared on 18 December. The process of filing nominations would begin on 16 October with the issue of notification and the candidates can file their papers till 23 October. The ruling Congress is locked in an intense battle in the hill state with the BJP, which is preparing to win back power from its traditional arch-rival. The Congress is facing anti-incumbency but is out to capture power in the state again. The party in power has never been re-elected by the state’s electorate. The Congress has already announced to go into the polls under the leadership of chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Singh has been miffed with the party high command for not changing PCC chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, saying he cannot work with him. The party leadership has, however, not acceded to his demand and has tried to pacify Singh.