Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh re-emerged on the political scene of the state on Sunday and made it clear that it was the responsibility of HPCC President Kaul Singh and Congress Legislative Party leader Vidya Stokes to ensure Congress’s victory in Rohru and Jawali byelections, scheduled to be held on November 7.

Virbhadra had maintained a studied absence from Himachal following the allotment of ticket for the Rohru bypoll to Manjeet Singh and not his wife and former Lok Sabha member Pratibha Singh.

The former chief minister said: “I have come here as a common party worker to campaign for the elections. I will first go to Rohru for five days from tomorrow and then to Jawali. I will try my best to ensure success for the party candidates.”

Victory or defeat of the Congress would be the collective responsibility and accountability of the state Congress and “not just of Virbhadra Singh”, he said in reply to a question on whether he was being seen as the star campaigner in the byelections. “I do not think that the entire responsibility of ensuring victory is mine. It is not acceptable either if I am held responsible for the Congress’s defeat in Rohru. If it wins too, the credit will go to the HPCC,” he added.

Expressing his feelings for the people of Rohru, Virbhadra said: “Nothing will hurt me more than the BJP wresting the seat from Congress.”

He preferred silence when asked for his reactions to the Congress high command’s decision to prefer local leader Manjeet Singh over his wife Pratibha for the bypoll ticket. “I feel the party has adopted a new principle of not giving ticket to descendants of a political leader and I am glad that it was started from Rohru,” he said.

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