The All India Congress Committee on Tuesday fielded senior party leader and former Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma from Kangra Lok Sabha seat and former MLA Satpal Raizada from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.
Anand Sharma's candidature from Kangra comes as a surprise move of Congress party as he hails from Shimla district and has so far been Rajya Sabha MP from Himachal thrice. It would be his first electoral battle for Lok Sabha.
Sharma is member of the Congress Working Committee and had been National party spokesman and National Youth Congress President in the past.
The former Union minister would face Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajeev Bhardwaj in Lok Sabha poll in Kangra. Bhardwaj is also fighting his first Lok Sabha election. The BJP has denied ticket to sitting MP from Kangra, Kishen Kapoor.
In Hamirpur, the Congress has reconsidered to field Satpal Raizada from Una after Deputy Chief Minister, Mukesh Agnihotri and his daughter Aastha Agnihotri turned down the request to contest the Lok Sabha poll.
Raizada is close to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and is pitted against Union Minister Anurag Thakur in the Hamirpur Parliamentary constituency.
The Congress party had declared candidates for Mandi and Shimla earlier this month.
The party is now left with the decision on candidates for by-polls to three Assembly segments, including Lahaul Spiti, Dharamshala and Badsar in Himachal Pradesh.
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