Ending two-week-long uncertainty, the Congress central leadership on Sunday appointed former Union minister Virbhadra Singh as Himachal Pradesh Congress chief replacing Kaul Singh Thakur.
There was no official confirmation from the AICC but Mr Kaul Singh, who returned here from Delhi, said he had tendered his resignation and Mr Virbhadra Singh would take over as new HPCC president.
AICC general secretary and in-charge of party’s affairs in Himachal Birender Chaudhary also confirmed that Virbhadra had been appointed the Himachal Congress chief.
“Virbhadra has been made state party chief and the move will brighten party’s poll prospects in the upcoming Assembly election,” he said.
The delay in appointment of a new PCC chief had virtually halted all activities and the party had to cancel the proposed siege of Vidhan Sabha on Monday.
Party sources said Mr Virbhadra Singh would take over on August 29 and the deferred gherao of the state assembly would take place the same day.
They said the campaign committee for the state assembly election, which was headed by Virbhadra, would now be chaired by Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma.
Mr Virbhadra Singh had resigned from the Union Cabinet two months ago after a court framed charges of corruption against him and his wife Pratibha, a former MP, in the audio-CD case.
“I will take everybody along in the party and pump in maximum energies to bring the Congress back to power in the state,” Mr Singh told his supporters. The former Union minister’s supporters distributed sweets to celebrate Virbhadra’s appointment as state Congress chief. Reacting to Virbhadra’s appointment, the ruling BJP said it was immaterial who would lead the Congress in the upcoming state Assembly election.