Disgruntled Mankotia vows to continue support to Congress

Disgruntled Congress leader Vijay Singh Mankotia today vowed to continue his support to Congress here.

Mankotia, who is also chairman of the ex-servicemen league, expressed to continue his support after Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh, his son Vikramaditya and Congress candidate from Kangra Chander Kumar met him recently.

"I was sidelined by the State government after the Vidhan Sabha poll 2012, where I helped to manage to revert back 7.8 per cent votes polled for BSP in 2007 (responsible to throw Congress out of power in state).

"I was backbitten by a loyalist of Vir Bhadra Singh, to ensure my defeat, and the same man was given high ranked political posts, and I was kept at a bay," said Mankotia.

Kewal Singh Pathania, (who was the Congress candidate in 2007, got only 14.09 per cent of polled votes to lose the deposit), is now the Chairman of Forest Corporation and considered to be as one of the few loyalists of Vir Bhadra Singh, Mankotia told reporters here.

He said besides Congress, AAP candidate for Kangra Rajan Sushant and BJP candidate Shanta Kumar had also visited his house to get his support.

Mankotia headed the BSP campaign in 2007 in Himachal after he was expelled from Congress over the release of controversial CD against Vir Bhadra Singh. Singh had again taken Mankotia back to Congress in 2012 and given him Congress ticket from Shahpur, where he (Mankotia) lost to BJP.