SMC poll: Himachal Pradesh CM holds meeting to back Cong

The campaign for the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) poll entered a feverish pitch today with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh addressing public meetings in the city for Congress backed candidates.
The June 16 elections is being seen as a three-cornered fight between the BJP, the Congress and the CPI (M), and a litmus test for the ruling party before the year-end state assembly poll.
The parties have already declared their candidates, 126 of them, for the 34 wards of which 17 have been reserved for women.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda has already addressed a meeting for BJP workers and former chief minister P K Dhumal would hold rallies to back candidates on June 14.

The Congress's ministers and senior party leaders have been made in-charge of different wards and the BJP has also followed the same pattern.
The CPI(M), which is a strong contender in several wards, has also mobilised its cadre for the polls.

The SMC election will be a clear triangular fight in 20 of the 34 wards while in five the BJP will take on Congress candidates directly.
The polling day has been declared a holiday in the SMC area and the returning officer has released a list of fifteen documents to establish identity of voters.
The counting will be held on June 17 and the house would be duly constituted by June 19 as per the High Court's orders.

The BJP, which is claiming to win more than 60 of the 68 seats in the assembly polls, due later this year, is under pressure to present an impressive show in the SMC polls, a party source said.