NEW DELHI: Amidst the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, political rivals former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Union minister Sukh Ram have been making attempts to resolve their differences.
The reuniting of these two leaders, which took place on Thursday, is said to have strengthened the Congress party in the state against its strongest opponent BJP.
On April 25, Sukh Ram and Virbhadra were seen sharing a stage when Congress leader and former union minister's grandson Aashray Sharma had filed nomination papers for Mandi Lok Sabha seat.
The former chief minister said that he would never forgive Sukh Ram for what he has done to him but his blessings are with Aashray.
Even Sukh Ram apologised to Virbhadra on the day of Aashray's nomination but the former chief minister did not respond to it. "I asked him (Virbhadra) for forgiveness for any mistakes that I might have committed in the past," Sukh Ram had said.
"Sukh Ram had made the biggest mistake by forming a different party and I can never forgive his mistake. Yes, he has helped me in the Lok Sabha elections. we need to forget old things to move ahead," Virbhadra had said.
Meanwhile, Aashray Sharma had said: "This time chief minister will not become an MP. Why to vote for the chief minister in the name of MP. If the chief minister (Jai Ram Thakur) would say today that he is willing to go the parliament then I am ready to take back my nomination."
Lambasting MP Ram Swaroop Sharma and Thakur, Aashray had said: "People of Mandi are being brainwashed by asking to vote in the name of the chief minister. In parliament, an elected legislator would go not the CM."
The four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, including Mandi, would go for polling on May 19, which is the last day of the seven-phased general elections. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.