Virbhadra, Anand Sharma to lead Congress campaign in HP bypoll

Union ministers Virbhadra Singh and Anand Sharma will head Congress campaign in the by-elections to two assembly seats of Himachal Pradesh where voting will be held on November 7.
    
Besides, the two party stalwarts from the state, leader of opposition in the HP assembly Vidya Stokes and state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur would also campaign for the candidates in the by-polls to Rohroo in Shimla district and Jawali in Kangra district, a Congress release said.
    
The PCC chief in consultation with Singh and Stokes today assigned duties to different office bearers for the by-polls, the first major event after party's poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha election in the hill state, when it could win the sole Mandi seat out of four constituencies.
    
Former speaker Gangu Ram Mussafir has been made in-charge for Rohroo, while ex-minister Satya Prakash Thakur will be his counterpart at Jawali, the release added.
    
The by-elections on the two seats were necessitated due to resignation of Virbhadra Singh (Congress) and Rajan Sushant of BJP from Rohroo and Jawali seats respectively after getting elected to the Lok Sabha.
    
Congress has denied ticket to Singh's wife Pratibha Singh from Rohroo, which forms part of his erstwhile Bushare royalty and which he represented continuously for 19 years, and opted for a greenhorn Manjit Singh Thakur. Former state minister Sujan Singh Pathania has been chosen for the Jawali seat.