The Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress on Monday expelled 23 party activists for filing nominations against official candidates for the upcoming assembly polls.
Congress Working Committee member R K Dhawan said they were expelled after all efforts to persuade them to retire from the contest failed.
The Congress got a boost when Het Ram Gaytri, vice-chairman
zila parishad [Shimla district], resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined it.
Local leaders Kushi Ram Verma and Zalam Singh Jaswal along with their supporters also resigned from the saffron party and joined Congress.