Independent sets,cliques and hamiltonian graphs

LetG be ak-connected (k 2) graph onn vertices. LetS be an independent set ofG. S is called essential if there exist two distinct vertices inS which have a common neighbor inG. LetV _r, be a clique which is a complete subgraph ofG. In this paper it is proven that if every essential independent setS ofk + 1 vertices satisfiesS V _r , thenG is hamiltonian, orG{u} is hamiltonian for someu V _r, orG is one of three classes of exceptional graphs. Our theorem generalizes several well-known theorems.