Dhawan in Shimla

SHIMLA, June 7: The All India Congress Committee has started serious consultations with state Congress leaders on restructuring the party se...

SHIMLA, June 7: The All India Congress Committee has started serious consultations with state Congress leaders on restructuring the party set up, including leadership changes in the Congress Legislature Party after the party8217;s total rout in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

AICC general secretary R. K. Dhawan, who is also incharge of the Congress affairs for Himachal Pradesh, reached Shimla this afternoon to take stock of the situation and ascertain reasons for the party8217;s humiliating defeat.

Even as former chief minister Virbhadra Singh had tendered his resignation taking moral responsibility for the party8217;s debacle, his loyalists, who gathered in Shimla to meet Dhawan, are making last-ditch efforts to get the resignation offer rejected. The reasons being given by them are that Virbhadra Singh, despite the defeat of the party and his wife Pratibha Singh in Mandi, still remains an 8220;undisputed8221; Congress leader. They feel that he cannot be held responsible for the reversals since there were some other factors. If any change were made, they would not benefit the party in any way, they claim.

When approached by media persons, Dhawan, however, declined to comment on the resignation offer. He said he had come here just to find out the reasons for the party8217;s defeat and election of the new CLP leader was not on his agenda. Dhawan also ruled out the possibility of getting Sukh Ram8217;s support, in case the leadership was changed. 8220;The Congress stand on Sukh Ram remains unchanged.8221; he said.

Though, Virbhadra Singh8217;s resignation seems to have pre-empted all moves of his detractors to seek his sack, it will remain to seen as to what decision AICC president Sonia Gandhi ultimately takes on the impending leadership change.

The rival camp, however, is advocating the need for change of leadership since people in certain areas had voted with vengeance against the Congress in general and Pratibha Singh in particular. It was for the first time that the Congress suffered such a huge setback in Mandi and the tribal areas.Former CM Ram Lal Thakur, who is considered first runner in the race for leadership, today called on Virbhadra Singh and they both met Dhawan.

Former speaker Vidya Stokes, another claimant, also met Dhawan. There were a large number of Virbhadra Singh loyalists, who suddenly reached Shimla and pleaded for allowing Virbhadra Singh to continue. PCC president Sant Ram, who is also understood to have offered to resign, also reached Shimla.

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Party leaders say Dhawan would continue consultations with the state leaders and would leave Delhi tomorrow after taking stock of the situation. The Congress camps have become quite active to stall each others8217;s move on the CLP leadership issue.