By IANS
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Vijay Singh Mankotia will contest from Dharamsala seat in the forthcoming assembly elections in the state next month.
Mankotia, a two-time former tourism minister, was recently expelled from the Congress.
The BSP released its first list of 45 candidates late Saturday in Chandigarh.
Many were surprised as Mankotia was expected to contest from his home seat of Shahpur in Kangra district, about 300 km from here, but was instead chosen for Dharamsala.
A party spokesman said Sunday that the remaining list of BSP candidates will be released in the next couple of days.
The BSP is hoping to make a dent in Himachal Pradesh politics, which is dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.
Polling for 65 assembly seats will take place on Dec 19 and the counting of votes will begin on Dec 28.