The Hindu : Sonia plans high-voltage campaign in Himachal

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 09, 2003

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Other States - Himachal Pradesh

Sonia plans high-voltage campaign in Himachal

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI FEB 8. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, will lead a high-voltage Congress campaign in the four States going to the polls later this month. She is likely to start her campaigning from February 14 in Himachal Pradesh. She will also be in action in the northeastern States that are also going to the polls.

The party is paying special attention to Himachal Pradesh, where it hopes to break the BJP's winning sequence. Supplementing her efforts will be a host of senior leaders, including several of its Chief Ministers.

Though the campaign in Himachal Pradesh will be spearheaded by the State leaders Veerbhadra Singh and Vidya Stokes, Congress poll managers have roped in several of its leaders from outside the State to lend their might to the campaigning.

The Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, has already been in the act and has sought to put the BJP on the defensive, by levelling corruption charges against the Himachal Chief Minister. He also made public a list of properties which, he claims, are owned by Mr. Dhumal.

He will figure prominently in the campaign in the State. So will several Punjab Ministers.

The other Chief Ministers being drafted for the work are Digvijay Singh, Ajit Jogi, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Ashok Gehlot, Sheila Dikshit and N.D. Tewari.

Besides, Congress leaders such as Manmohan Singh, Arjun Singh, Karan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mahavir Prasad, Ambica Soni, Ahmad Patel and Shivraj Patil will also campaign.

Like the BJP, the Congress too will station several leaders in the State to help the AICC general secretary in charge of the State, Mohsina Kidwai. The AICC treasurer, Motilal Vora, will be stationed in Shimla for the duration of the campaign. The CWC member, Mukul Wasnik, the Rajasthan PCC president, Girija Vyas and Anand Sharma, will assist the two senior leaders.

The party has also deployed an extensive network of election observers at each constituency. A number of Uttar Pradesh MLAs are being dispatched to Himachal Pradesh.

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Sonia plans high-voltage campaign in Himachal