Mandi-- where Sukh Ram is undisputed leader
The main Assembly segment of Mandi Parliamentary constituency (comprising 10 assly segments), it will be cynosure of all eyes for being traditionally associated with the tainted but 'king-maker' politician and president of Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) Sukh Ram, who was crucial in enabling the BJP to form a government with the support of four of his party MLAs.
The main Assembly segment of Mandi Parliamentary constituency (comprising 10 assly segments), it will be cynosure of all eyes for being traditionally associated with the tainted but 'king-maker' politician and president of Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) Sukh Ram, who was crucial in enabling the BJP to form a government with the support of four of his party MLAs.
He is as yet the undisputed leader of the area despite his alleged involvement in the biggest telecom scam as a Union Telecommunications Minister.
Still dubbed as a symbol of corruption by his adversaries, Sukh Ram, contesting on HVC ticket, had defeated his nearest rival Kanhaiya Lal by a huge margin of 18,989 votes. While Sukh Ram got 25,656 votes Lal got just 6667. Congress' Durga Dutt was a poor third with 6,285 votes.
A total of 69.37 voters had turned out to vote in 1998 assembly polls.
In the 1993 polls, Anil Sharma of Congress had defeated kanhaiya Lal of BJP by 12,422 votes. The former had got 23,134 votes.