Virbhadra, Stokes at amiable best as Cong deals with chaos
Octogenarians meet following CM’s decision to contest from Stokes’ bastion
Amid uncertainty and factional feud that has made the Congress wary in Himachal Pradesh, chief minister Virbhadra Singh and irrigation and public health minister Vidya Stokes displayed unusual ‘bonhomie’ at his official residence, Oak Over, on Sunday.
The meeting between the octogenarians followed Singh’s announcement two days ago that he would contest elections from Theog — 89-year-old Stokes’ bastion from where she contested 10 elections and won eight.
Stokes and Singh sat in the lawns of Oak Over for long, sharing some light moments amid the tension in the party over allegations that rural development minister Anil Sharma and his father Sukhram had switched over to the BJP.
The minister also presented a shawl and cap to felicitate 84-year-old Singh.
Commenting on Anil Sharma’s alleged ‘exit’, Singh said, “It’s not for the first time that this is happening. Leaders keep coming and going; this happens more during election time.” The chief minister, whose political career spans over 50 years, is fighting his last electoral battle .
So far, he has contested elections from three different assembly segments — Rohru, Jubbal Kotkhai and Shimla rural.
Meanwhile, Stokes’ decision to opt out of the electoral battle just ahead of polls has not gone down well.
“Stokes should have consulted her voters. During her last tour, she was campaigning and announced that she would contest the election. Now, suddenly she offered the seat to Virbhadra,” said Rattan Mehta, a local.
STOKES AND SINGH SAT IN THE LAWNS OF OAK OVER FOR LONG, SHARING SOME LIGHT MOMENTS AMID THE TENSION IN THE PARTY