Son rise in HP Cong: Butail, Bali Vikramaditya get plum posts

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 5

Dynastic dominance in the state Congress continues with the revamped state organisation featuring sons of top politicians, including former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, in key positions.

Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Virbhadra Singh, and Raghubir Singh Bali, the son of former state minister GS Bali, have been named state unit generals secretaries in the overhauled Himachal organisation Congress president Rahul Gandhi approved today to boost party preparedness ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Ashish Butail, the son of Congress stalwart BB Butail, former Assembly Speaker, will be the Treasurer of the state unit. Rahul Gandhi has constituted a jumbo Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee consisting of 15 vice presidents, 18 general secretaries, 68 secretaries, 11 executive committee members and 14 permanent invitees to the committee and 17 districts unit chiefs.

Cumulatively, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee now consists of 143 functionaries with Rahul appointing one secretary for every Assembly segment.

While the list of vice presidents features senior leaders, including Anita Verma, Gangu Ram Musafir, Harsh Mahajan, Chander Kumar, Harbhajan Singh Bhajji among others, the list of general secretaries consists of sons of many veterans.

Besides Vikramaditya Singh, the newly appointed general secretaries in the state unit include Ajay Mahajan, the son of former Himachal Congress chief Sat Mahajan; Vinod Sultanpuri, the son of former Shimla MP KD Sultanpuri; Raghubir Bali, the son of former minister GS Bali; Harsh Mahajan, the son of ex state minister Des Raj Mahajan and Ravi Thakur, son of former MLA Lata Thakur.

Importantly, the entire family of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has been represented in the new state organization in one role or the other. While Virbhadra Singh himself was recently appointed the HP Congress Campaign Committee Chief for the 2019 General Elections, his son was today made general secretary and his wife and former MP Pratibha Singh was included in today’s list among the 14 permanent invitees.

The new Himachal Congress functionaries have been appointed days after Rahul approved a range of Lok Sabha election committees for the state naming former CM Virbhadra Singh the campaign committee chief and including in all major committees former state president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. Former union minister Anand Sharma is also part of all major LS poll committees for the state with the Congress already in the process of inviting applications from potential LS contenders. The Congress had lost all four LS seats in Himachal Pradesh to the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has a crucial contest at hands this time.

Among the permanent invitees to the Himachal Congress Committee will be CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri, Virbhadra Singh, Anand Sharma, Vidya Stokes, Asha Kumari, Viplove Thakur, Kaul Singh Thakur, Dhani Ram Shandil, Kuldeep Kumar, GS Bali, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Rakesh Kalia and Sohan Lal Thakur.

Vice-presidents: Anita Verma, GR Musafir, Ram Lal Thakur, Chander Kumar, Harsh Mahajan, HS Bhajji, Geeta Negi. Beeru Ram, Ajay Bahadur Singh, Virender Dharmani, Pawan Kajal, Lakhwinder Rana, KS Khachi, Prajash Chaudhary, Mohinder Chauhan

General secys: Rajneesh Kimta, Harshvardhan Chauhan, Ajay Mahajan, Ravi Thakur, Vinod Sultanpuri. Sunder Thakur, Ram Kumar, Sunil Sharma, Kailash Parasar, Naresh Chauhan, Sanjay Awasthi, Dharamvir Dhami, Rahgubir Bali, Vikramaditya Singh, KS Pathania, Manmohan Katoch, Vinay Kumar, Maheshwar Chauhan.

Prominent sons appointed

The list of general secretaries has of sons of many veteran. Besides Vikramaditya Singh, son of former CM Virbhadra Singh, the newly appointed general secretaries include Ajay Mahajan, son of former Himachal Congress chief Sat Mahajan; Vinod Sultanpuri, son of former Shimla MP KD Sultanpuri; Raghubir Bali, son of former minister GS Bali; Harsh Mahajan, son of ex-state minister Des Raj Mahajan and Ravi Thakur, son of former MLA Lata Thakur.

A ‘jumbo’ unit

Rahul Gandhi has constituted a jumbo HPCC consisting of 15 vice-presidents, 18 general secretaries, 68 secretaries, 11 executive committee members and 14 permanent invitees to the committee and 17 districts unit chiefs.