Ground situation 'not favourable', will not contest LS poll from Mandi: Himachal Cong chief Pratibha

Shimla: In a jolt to the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh, state party chief and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh on Wednesday announced that she has decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections as the ground situation was "not favourable".

"I have toured the state extensively and found that no worker is active and in such a situation, it is difficult to achieve success," she told reporters here.

"I have declined to contest elections as I am not in a position to put up a fight. You cannot win polls just by distributing MPLAD funds," she said and added that if the party workers who had worked hard for the party's victory in the assembly polls were given responsibilities and importance, they would have been active on the ground.