Kewal Singh Pathania is Congress chief whip in Himachal Vidhan Sabha

Shimla, March 13

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Kewal Singh Pathania, first-time Congress MLA from Shahpur in Kangra district, was today appointed the chief whip of the party in the Vidhan Sabha.

Kewal’s appointment is being viewed as a bid to placate Congress legislators and accommodate most of them with political appointments. The posts of chief whip and deputy chief whip in the Vidhan Sabha were vacant though the Congress formed government almost 14 months ago.

The party is expected to fill the post of deputy chief whip soon. The BJP had appointed two of its senior leaders, Jubbal-Kotkhai MLA Narinder Bragta and Jwalamukhi MLA Ramesh Dhawala, as chief whip and deputy chief whip during the Jai Ram Thakur government.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently accommodated many Congress MLAs against various posts so as to keep their flock together. The move is being viewed as yet another attempt to keep together the Congress MLAs after six legislators cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election on February 27.

Sukhu has already appointed several MLAs, including of Rampur MLA Nand Lal and Fatehpur MLA Bhawani Pathania, on various posts since the political crisis erupted in the aftermath of the defeat of Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha election.

HPCC president Pratibha Singh had on several occasions demanded that senior party leaders be appointed Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of boards and corporations. She had also raised the issue with the party high command.