Rahul removes Sukhu as HP campaign chief, appoints Virbhadra instead

New Delhi, October 16
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday removed HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu as Himachal campaign committee chief and appointed Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in his place.
Sources termed it as course correction after Virbhadra Singh and his camp opposed Sukhu’s appointment as the campaign chief.
AICC secretary and MLA Asha Kumari has been included in the state election committee as a member.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi last week named Singh as a member of the campaign committee of which Sukhu was the chairman and Rajya Sabha member Viplove Thakur a co-convener.
AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said in a statement today Gandhi had approved the name of Virbhadra Singh as the committee chairman for the assembly elections in the state.
“The campaign committee was announced earlier,” he said.
Singh and Sukhu have been at loggerheads with the former demanding his immediate replacement as the PCC chief ahead of the elections, scheduled for November 9.
However, the chief minister and the PCC boss shared a stage today at a press conference, indicating that all was well in the party.
They have also shared other public platforms of late.
Asked about the differences within the party, Singh said the Congress party in Himachal Pradesh was united and would fight the election together.
The chief minister also launched the party’s campaign for the state – “Jawaab dega Himachal” (Himachal will give its reply) — on the development initiated in the state under his leadership, as a counter to the BJP’s campaign targeting him for corruption.