Himachal Congress chief rules out resignation

September 9th, 2009 SHIMLA - A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh Wednesday resigned from party post after the opposition Congress raked up his alleged involvement in a call girl racket. The Congress had been demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged call girl scandal after chairman of the BJP media advisory committee Rajendra Rana and a senior government functionary were reportedly found with some women in a posh hotel here last week.

September 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Thursday urged the central government to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the hill state. Dhumal met union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal here Thursday and offered Rs.15 crore as the state's share and 100 acres of land and other necessary facilities for setting up the technology and business schools in Himachal Pradesh.

August 5th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Himachal Pradesh Wednesday demanded that Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh resign over the corruption charges filed against him. "We are demanding the resignation of Virbhadra Singh as his name figures in corruption deals," BJP spokesperson and legislator Randhir Sharma told reporters here.

July 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress, partner in the ruling Jammu and Kashmir coalition, Tuesday expressed confidence that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would come out unscathed from the opposition allegation linking him to a sex scandal, which forced him to step down. "Omar (Abdullah) stands on a high moral ground...He will fight and prove his innocence," Rajya Sabha MP and state Congress chief Saifuddin Soz told IANS here.

July 28th, 2009 SRINAGAR - Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra Tuesday accepted the resignation of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah after the opposition linked him to a 2006 sex scandal.

July 10th, 2009 SHIMLA - Former Himachal Pradesh deputy speaker Khimi Ram Friday took over as the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief, a party leader said. "Khimi Ram this (Friday) afternoon assumed the charge of the state party chief.

May 16th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading in all the four parliamentary constituencies of Himachal Pradesh. The four seats - Shimla (reserved for Scheduled Castes), Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra - saw 59.17 percent polling May 13.

May 16th, 2009 SHIMLA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was earlier leading in all the four parliamentary constituencies of Himachal Pradesh, started trailing in one seat as counting of votes progressed Saturday, a poll official said. 'While the BJP is maintaining a comfortable lead in three seats - Shimla, Hamirpur and Kangra - the Congress is now leading in one seat, Mandi, by early afternoon,' the official said.

May 16th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal's son and sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur has won the state's Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, a poll official said Saturday. Anurag Thakur defeated his nearest rival, Narinder Thakur of the Congress by 72,732 votes, state chief electoral officer Anil Khachi told IANS.

April 20th, 2009 SHIMLA - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal's son and sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur Monday filed his nomination papers from Hamirpur constituency. Thakur, who is contesting the parliamentary elections for the second time, has been pitted against former BJP leader Narinder Thakur, who joined the Congress recently.

April 18th, 2009 SHIMLA - A two-time MP and a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Saturday filed nominations as Congress candidates from two important Lok Sabha constituencies in Himachal Pradesh. Dhani Ram Shandil filed his papers from the Shimla constituency while Narinder Thakur, a former BJP leader who joined the Congress recently, filed his papers from Hamirpur.

April 17th, 2009 SHIMLA - Is your cap maroon in front? Then you must be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter. Is it green? Then you are with the Congress.

March 26th, 2009 SHIMLA - Former India cricketer Madan Lal Thursday faced more trouble in Himachal Pradesh as senior Congress leaders, including former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, came out openly against his nomination from the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency. The five-time chief minister and candidate from the Mandi seat charged 'certain vested interests' within the party with being hand-in-glove with Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal of the Bharatiya Janata Party and helping him by fielding a weak candidate against his son (sitting MP Anurag Thakur).

March 25th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Orissa chief of the Youth Congress submitted his resignation Wednesday to protest the party leadership ignoring his demand that youths be given a chance to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Rohit Pujari said he had submitted his resignation to the party leadership.

February 9th, 2009 SHIMLA - The budget session of the Himachal Pradesh assembly, beginning Feb 12, is likely to be stormy with the opposition Congress vowing to expose the 'failures' of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. 'The Congress would raise various issues like total failure of public distribution system, deteriorating law and order in the state, and the government taking credit over projects initiated by the previous government,' state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur told reporters.