Congress bid to pacify Virbhadra, gives him say in poll picks

NEW DELHI: Congress has assured Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh that he would have a decisive say in ticket distribution in the state elections in a bid to persuade him to relent on his demand for removal of bete noire Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as state party chief.

The assurance appears to be more of a face-saver as Singh has declared that he would not contest the upcoming elections if Sukhu is not removed despite the leadership having taken a stand that his demand would not be accepted.

Now, letting the state chief go would give the impression that the leadership had bowed to the pressure tactics of the veteran chief minister Singh.

Sources said the leadership has conveyed to Singh that change of guard in the state unit so close to elections would trigger confusion among party workers.

Instead, the party has argued with the chief minister that the key issue in the elections would be selection of candidates and he would have a principal say in the nominations.

By insider accounts, Virbhadra Singh has demanded that 60 of the 70 candidates should be his nominees.

The party is likely to hold talks with him to ensure that a respectable balance is struck in the process of persuading Singh to climb down from his demand.

Sources said AICC general secretary in-charge Sushil Kumar Shinde has called Virbhadra Singh for detailed discussions on September 25.

Just when Congress should have been starting the election campaign with a united organisation, the party plunged into chaos with the cheif minister and Sukhu crossing swords.

Traditionally, the Himachal electorate has kicked out the ruling party in every election and Congress's antiincumbency woes have been compounded by some incidents of crime as well as the corruption charges against the chief minister.

Virbhadra Singh had demanded Sukhu's ejection from the organisational perch few months ago which was turned down by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

But last month, he sprang a surprise by declaring that he would not lead the party in elections if his demand was not accepted, and even got a resolution passed by MLAs in his support.

Since then, Congress has been in a fire-fighting mode, seeking to placate the CM while ensuring that it does not come across as being bulldozed by the veteran.