Former Himachal Pradesh BJP president Khimi Ram joins Congress

Former Himachal Pradesh BJP president Khimi Ram on Tuesday joined the Congress, giving the Opposition party some talking points in the poll-bound state.

"I am not joining the Congress out of any anger towards the BJP. I have taken a well-thought out decision to take the Congress forward in Himachal Pradesh," said Ram at the joining function at the AICC with Congress in-charge of the state Rajiv Shukla flanking him along with a couple of AICC secretaries. Ram, a two-time ex-MLA was also a minister and deputy speaker earlier, has been sulking ever since he was denied a ticket by the BJP in 2017 state polls.

Meanwhile, Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi has appointed Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel as AICC senior observers in poll bound Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, respectively. While TS Singh Deo and Milind Deora will assist Gehlot as AICC observers in Gujarat, Sachin Pilot and and P S Bajwa will do that role in HP.