Himachal chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to stay, Congress tells Virbhadra Singh

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (centre) in Shimla Friday. (Express photo by Pradeep Kumar)

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is engaged in a bitter factional feud with state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, was told that the state leadership would stay unchanged when he met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday, sources said.

Singh had been demanding that Sukhu be removed and signalled that he would not contest or lead the party into the Assembly elections.

He had also announced his decision not to share the stage with Sukhu and despite being invited, he recently skipped a Congress event in Solan where AICC general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde was present.

Singh met Rahul along with Shinde. Sources said it was conveyed to him that Sukhu will continue as Himachal Pradesh Congress chief.

Rahul will travel to Himachal next month to address a public meeting in Mandi on October 7. Shinde told The Indian Express that he and Singh only discussed the “electoral strategy” with Gandhi.