Visit by Himachal CM Sukhu to ‘miffed’ Dharamshala MLA Sudhir’s house sets political circles abuzz
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The Newz Radar
DHARAMSHALA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu visited the residence of Congress MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma here on Saturday (December 24, 2023), about an hour after the five-day winter session concluded.
The visit appears significant and has led to a lot of speculation considering the fact that Sudhir, a four-term MLA who also remained the Local Bodies Minister in the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government from 2012-17, is miffed with the party over denial of a cabinet berth.
More so as he was even invited for the swearing-in ceremony of the Sukhu government’s first cabinet expansion, but his name was dropped at the last minute. He missed out the race even during the recent expansion when his close associate and MLA from Jaisinghpur in Kangra, Yadvinder Goma, was chosen for a ministry. And so was Rajesh Dharmani who too was left out in the first expansion and had developed a “losing camaraderie” with Sudhir.
During the winter session, the Dharamshala MLA was hardly seen in the Assembly. He attended the session only on the first two days and made a token presence on the concluding day. On the third and fourth day, he remained absent from the Vidhan Sabha, leading to speculation in political circles.
The Dharamshala MLA is said to be angry with the Chief Minister over a host of issues. Sudhir Sharma’s resentment has been increasing for a long time due to not getting the ministerial post.
After the end of the session on Saturday, Chief Minister Sukhu reached the residence of Dharamshala MLA in Rakkar in the evening and according to information, the Chief Minister inquired about Sudhir’s well-being, health and politics and issues relating to Dharamshala. The closed-door meeting is learnt to have lasted for a long time.
When asked about the same, Shubham Sood, who is personal assistant and secretary of the Dharamshala MLA, said that Chief Minister Sukhu reached Sudhir Sharma’s residence around 6.45 pm. Sources said the visit could also be an indication that Sudhir may soon get an important post.
When contacted, Congress leader and newly appointed mayor of Dharamshala Municipal Corporation Neenu Sharma said she had no information about the visit. She said maybe the Chief Minister was there for dinner or to inquire about Sudhir Sharma’s health. She said she too got to know about it only through a Facebook post.
