Shimla, Dec 8 (PTI) Former Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Kuldeep Rathore won from Theog assembly seat in Shimla district on Thursday, defeating the BJP"s Ajay Shyam by 5,269 votes, according to the Election Commission.The stakes were high for Rathore, who was contesting for the first time.It was during his tenure as the state Congress chief that the party won by-elections to the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and three assembly seats last year.Sitting MLA and lone CPI(M) candidate Rakesh Singh and Independents Indu Verma and Vijaypal Khachi were also in the fray.Increasing production cost of apples, 100 per cent import duty on the fruit and 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on cartons were the major issues in Theog constituency, considered the epicentre of the apple agitation in Shimla district.Provision of basic amenities and restoration of the old pension scheme were some of the other issues at the centre of the political discourse.In the 2017 Himachal Pradesh assembly polls, Rakesh Singh of the CPI(M) had defeated the BJP"s Rakesh Verma by a margin of 1,983 votes.In 2012, veteran Congress leader Vidya Stokes had defeated Verma by 4,276 votes. PTI BPL DIV DIV