Urmila Patel embarrassed as namesake is new HP Guv

It is not the first time that former Central minister Urmilaben Patel has missed date with an important office of prominence.

It is not the first time that former Central minister Urmilaben Patel has missed date with an important office of prominence. But this latest slip over the Himachal Pradesh gubernatorial appointment has left her confused and embarrassed.

Even though Urmila Singh of Madhya Pradesh was appointed the new Himachal Governor on Saturday night,it was Urmilaben Patel who was touted as the likely appointee. In fact,the local press had announced her impending appointment. But change in the list at the eleventh hour is said to have caused Patel much discomfort. The list was put up on the Rashtrapati Bhavan website late on Saturday.

Even this morning,the Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhavan staff called me up,asking for my biodata, a bemused Patel said.

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She ruled out groupism in the party having anything to do with the appointment.

She owes allegiance to the Janata Dal (G) and said that groupism might be there at the district level,but there is no such thing at the top.

Patel,who woke up to congratulatory phone calls on

Sunday morning,said she had gone to Delhi last week and met Sonia Gandhi with a presentation. She heard me and said she would keep this (the presentation) in mind what happened thereafter,I do not know, she said.

Patel said she did not suspect any political sabotage because he (Ahmed Patel) has good relations with us. She said her name had figured even in the Core Committee meeting two days ago and that it was only a matter of time before her name along with others was announced. Even Gujarat Governor Dr Kamala Beniwal and her Himachal Pradesh counterpart Prabha Rau did not know about the change,Patel claimed.

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