Former CM Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya Singh retains seat

Shimla: Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh's son and sitting Congress MLA from Shimla (Rural) Vikramaditya Singh retained his seat by defeating his nearest rival Ravi Kumar Mehta of the BJP by 13,860 votes.

There were six candidates in the fray for this seat.

Talking to the media, Vikramaditya said the Congress is all set to form the government according to the poll trends and that the new dispensation will fulfil all the promises it made to the people.

When asked whether he would like to see his mother and state Congress president Pratibha Singh as the chief minister, Vikramaditya said, "As a son, I would like to see my mother as the chief minister, but the decision in this regard will be taken by the winning candidates and the high command." Vikramaditya claimed that his father's legacy has helped the party get a clear mandate.

Replying to the possibility of horse-trading, he said senior Congress leaders were in the state and that the party was united. "We will do everything to save our MLAs from poaching by the BJP," he added.