Rival Cong camps woo Sonia

The main goal of the Virbhadra Singh camp is to get resignation of their leader rejected and appointment of former minister Chander Kumar as the new PCC chief. Former chief minister Ram Lal Thakur wants party president to get first-hand field reports about HP affairs before taking final decision.

Within the Virbhadra camp defeated former minister Major Vijay Singh Mankotia is lobbying for his own elevation as PCC chief, while former speaker Kaul Singh Thakur is also emerging as potential choice for the party posts including CLP leadership, if Virbhadra’s resignation was accepted.

Both also called on Sonia Gandhi separately. Former Speaker Vidya Stokes wants to get back in the limelight to prove her standing in the party set-up. Virbhadra Singh, in his meeting with Sonia Gandhi and other AICC leaders also favoured changes in the PCC set-up. His supporters — J.B.L. Khachi, Sant Ram, Chander Kumar, G.S. Bali and Asha Kumari — say he cannot be held responsible for the party’s defeat.

However, former PCC president Sat Mahajan wants AICC to either renominate him as PCC president or appoint Viplove Thakur, sitting MLA and daughter of freedom fight Sarla Sharma to the post.

The Virbhadra Singh camp has also mooted an idea that since BJP had appointed a young leader as its state unit president the Congress too should follow suit. It also wants new PCC president to be from the lower-merged areas.

The rival camp advocates the need for total change and keeping Virbhadra Singh off the scene for sometime since there had been personal resentment against him in the lower areas, and the middle belt (Mandi). This camp is also not averse to the idea of opening a dialogue with Sukh Ram to topple the BJP government after six months and enable the party to form government in the state. "For this, right choice of leaders is very essential," says a sitting Congress MLA.