Sonia Gandhi invokes ‘unity whip’ for top leaders in poll-bound HP

At Gandhi’s advise,Birender Singh will call a follow-up meeting of all senior leaders in Shimla on May 1 to draw up a strategy for the election campaign and form a coordination committee under him.

While the leaders present at the meeting remained tight-lipped over the discussions,sources said Gandhi had conveyed her strong displeasure over leaders attacking each other in public rallies. “This has to stop and party cadres should not get any impression of rift. Himachal Pradesh is an important state which we have to win,” Gandhi told leaders.

Loyalists of Virbhadra Singh have been openly demanding that the party should declare its chief ministerial candidate before the elections. Singh has already held a series of rallies in Kangra,Una,Mandi,Solan and Shimla districts to demonstrate his political power. Sources added that at the meeting,a leader suggested that the party should stick to its policy of not declaring a chief ministerial candidate before the elections. Singh also allegedly raised the issue of “wrong distribution” of tickets in the 2007 Assembly elections.

The Palampur rally of Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma also reportedly figured in the meeting,as it was on that very day that Singh had organised a get-together at his residence.

Most sitting MLAs and former MLAs,including those from Kangra,had reached Shimla instead of attending Sharma’s official function in Kangra.