In the first head to roll following the electoral debacle, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee President Viplov Thakur has resigned from the post on a day when former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh bowed out as the Congress Legislature Party leader.
The Himachal effect could be replicated in Narendra Modi-run Gujarat, where the PCC chief Bharat Solanki and CLP leader Arjun Modwadia could meet a similar fate, party sources said.
A decision on the CLP issue in Gujarat is expected before January 17, the sources said.
Interestingly, the CLP leader in Punjab as also the PCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo had been replaced following the defeat of the party in the assembly polls in the state last year. Former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is currently holding both the posts.
In Himachal, while Virbhadra Singh declined to accept the responsibility as CLP leader, Thakur submitted her resignation in the wake of the debacle and has been asked to continue till alternate arrangements are made.
Senior leader Vidya Stokes, a known detractor of Singh, has been made the new CLP leader in the state despite reports from Shimla that the former Chief Minister wanted his confidant, Kaul Singh Thakur, to be given the responsibility.
This is the first change after the recent Congress defeat in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections, with the defeat in Gandhinagar coming as a shock to the party.
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