Congress chief Sonia Gandhi meets Himachal leaders, takes stock of election readiness

The emergence of AAP was also a point of discussion. After the AAP’s landslide victory in Punjab, there were fears in the Congress that its impact could be felt in neighbouring Himachal. But most of the leaders who attended the meeting told Sonia that AAP may not be a big factor in Himachal and that the situation in Punjab and Himachal was not similar.

The sense was that the AAP will register its presence and not go beyond that. But some of the leaders admitted there could be some desertions from the party.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann are set to hold a road show in Mandi on April 6.

“It was a routine meeting. What can we expect when 20-odd leaders, including many who don’t see eye to eye with each other, sit together? One person even suggested to Sonia that she should hold one-to-one meetings with all the leaders to know the reality on the ground,” a leader said. “Everyone said we should get our act together and be united. But are we united?” said another leader.

Rahul, meanwhile, held a meeting with Gujarat Congress chief Jagdish Thakor and CLP leader Sukhram Rathva. Rahul is likely to travel to Gujarat in the first week of April to flag off a ‘padayatra’ (foot march) that the party is taking out from Sabarmati Ashram to Delhi to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence.