After taking over as AICC chief, Rahul to visit Shimla tomorrow

Shimla, Dec 28: Congers president Rahul Gandhi would visit Shimla on Friday to assess the reasons for the party's debacle in the November 9 Assembly elections. 

It would be first visit of Mr Gandhi after being elevated to the top post, a party official said.
Mr Gandhi would arrive sharp at 1100 hrs by air to Shimla and the party state unit would give him a warm welcome. 
Earlier, Mr Gandhi had sent the party state in charge and AICC general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde and party co-incharge Ranjita Ranjan for the meeting. 
He also decided to hold marathon meetings with the party legislators, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee office-bearers and heads of frontal organisations here on December 29 to assess the reason for party debacle in assembly elections.
Party spokesman Naresh Chauhan told UNI that Mr Gandhi would land at the Jubbarhatti airport and hold a meeting with newly elected 21 party legislators and all other candidates who had contested but defeated and heads of the District Congress Committees (DCC) at 1100 hrs . 
Mr Shinde would also remain present along with Mr Gandhi. He will return to Delhi the same afternoon. Mr Gandhi have got substantial complaints against the top party leadership in the state for inner cuttings and working against the party official candidates. 
Mr Gandhi, who had been elevated to the party top post, has been trying hard to give tough fight to the ruling BJP. Himachal is the second state where he would hold election review meetings after Gujarat. 
There are reports that former HPCC president Kaul Singh Thakur who had lost assembly elections from Dharang and his daughter Champa Thakur from Mandi lodged complaints in the party incharge review meeting recently for putting party rebel Puran Thakur against him in behalf of senior party leadership. 
In the meeting, held here on December 23, many candidates, including Deepak Rathore (Theog), had even given an audio recording as evidence against his own party leaders having worked against him. In the meeting, resentment was expressed by the candidates on lack of resources and undercutting by senior party leaders for their defeat.
In the second half post lunch, he will meet the office-bearers of the HPCC, all Block Congress Committee (BCC) presidents, heads of all frontal organisations like Mahila Congress, Youth Congress, Sewa Dal and National Students Union of India and heads of various cells like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Legal, Beopar Mandal and others, he added. UNI