The Congress in Himachal has put on their battle gear and preparations for the Lok Sabha polls are on in full swing. While new faces are expected to take charge of party functions, those who had quit before the Assembly elections, are likely to be back in the party fold.

One of the prominent names doing the rounds is of Major Vijai Singh Mankotia (retd), who had joined the BSP and was projected as the party’s chief ministerial candidate, he is also a die-hard adversary of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Although Virbhadra is unlikely to agree to his return the central Congress leadership is already considering the possibility.

Mankotia, a former Congress minister and MLA had released an audio CD before the Hamirpur bypolls last year levelling charges of corruption against Virbhadra. Following his suspension from the party soon after, he quit the Congress to join the BSP. However, he failed to make it to the Assembly.

Party insiders told The Indian Express on Sunday that the decks have also been cleared for the entry of former BJP minister Karan Singh in the Congress. Karan, the younger brother of senior BJP leader Maheshwar Singh — who is expected to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Mandi — had left the BJP in November 2007 and had joined the BSP. However, he lost in the Assembly elections from Banjar, a constituency he had represented twice.

PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur said, “Karan Singh has been in touch with the party for quite sometime. He has expressed his desire for unconditional entry to the Congress. We will be happy to have him.”

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