Congress banks on Virbhadra legacy in Himachal, wife is new chief

In what seems a balancing act, Sharma was announced as the chairman of a 10-member steering committee by the Congress. Former AICC in-charge of Punjab Asha Kumari will be the convenor of the steering committee. It also includes several aspirants for the PCC president post like Kaul Singh Thakur, Ram Lal Thakur, Harshwardhan Chouhan, and Dhani Ram Shandil. The PCC president, CLP leader and campaign committee chief will be permanent invitees to the committee.

Mukesh Agnihotri, the CLP leader, and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, the campaign committee chief and former PCC chief, were the leading contenders for the top post. The party release also made it clear that Sukhu will be part of the screening committee that will shortlist candidates for the Assembly elections.

Generally, the PCC president and CLP leader are ex-officio members of the screening committee, but there have been exceptions. The screening committee for the recent Assembly elections in Punjab, for example, had Sunil Jakhar, the campaign committee chief, as an ex-officio member.

Other senior leaders have also been accommodated in various ways, with Harsh Mahajan, Rajinder Rana, Vinay Kumar and Pawan Kaushal appointed working presidents, and several panels named to make space for the others.

Shandil, for instance, will head the manifesto committee. Kaul Singh Thakur has been made chairman of the coordination committee. Ram Lal Thakur will be chairman of the election management committee. Former minister Sudhir Sharma, who was considered a close lieutenant of Virbhadra, has been appointed head of the publicity and publication committee.

Pratibha Singh is currently an MP from Mandi, having won a by-election in November last year.