Shimla, Feb. 26 -- Himachal Pradesh deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Wednesday said that the candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha seat will be finalised soon, adding that they won't allow BJP to repeat its earlier "strategy". The voting for RS seat will be vacant after March 16. Currently, Indu Goswami, from BJP, is the MP. "The party high command will soon decide the candidate for RS polls. I don't think the BJP will be able to make any attempt this time. Earlier they managed to win the seat despite our efforts to defeat 'Operation Lotus', but this time Congress is fully alert," said Agnihotri, on the sidelines of a press conference to highlight transport sector reforms. Referring to the previous polls, Agnihotri said, "BJP may have won the RS seat once, but it cannot happen repeatedly." On the issue of Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG) halt, the deputy CM said the Congress leadership of Himachal had recently met the party high command and raised the concern. He said the matter was discussed at length with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi. Agnihotri added that the state was already facing fiscal pressures due to the end of GST compensation, deductions linked to the Old Pension Scheme and pending disaster relief funds. "Congress will not roll back the subsidies or OPS. Even the Rs.1,500 crore disaster assistance announced by the Prime Minister has not been received yet, and borrowing limits have also been fixed, creating financial constraints for the state," he said. Targeting Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, Agnihotri alleged that he did not support the state's stand on RDG. "The Himachal assembly passed a resolution seeking continuation of the RDG, but Jai Ram neither participated nor allowed his party to support it," he said. Himachal Pradesh is set to introduce special registration for vintage vehicles while accelerating digital automation across the transport sector, Agnihotri said on Wednesday. "Vehicles registered before 1950 and 1975 would be classified under a special category. They will be treated as vintage vehicles and will get a 'VA' number and will be registered under the vintage category. These vehicles will not be scrapped," he said. He further said the government had introduced a vintage vehicle policy. "Vehicles over 50 years old kept at home can now be registered under the vintage category with a special series. Owners can preserve them, display them and use them occasionally," he said. Announcing policy steps for taxi operators, Agnihotri said, "We have taken up the issue with Union minister Nitin Gadkari to align taxi permit validity with a 15-year vehicle life. With around 35,000 taxis in the state, this will benefit operators across the country once notified," he said....