It was the night of August 22, 2012 when the then political secretary to Congress President late Ahmed Patel reached former Virbhadra Singh's residence at 1, Jantar Mantar in Delhi to pacify him to stay in the grand old party and not jump the ship.

Raja Sahib was upset with the Congress leadership and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar and Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee had been sending feelers to him. 

Patel had brought a message from Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Virbhadra Singh that he will take charge of the party's 2012 assembly management and will also be appointed the Himachal Pradesh Congress President in place of Kaul Singh Thakur. 

Patel was accompanied by senior Congress leader Mukesh Agnihotri and retired IAS officer Subhash Ahluwalia. 

In the meantime, a meeting had been arranged between Raja Sahib and NCP boss Sharad Pawar through one of his party colleagues. 

The NCP Chief wanted Raja Sahib and his supporters to announce their joining the next day. 

But late Ahmed Patel's meeting with Raja Sahib had changed the game as he refused to quit the Congress and accordingly conveyed his decision to the NCP mediator. 

"I will remain a loyal solider of the Congress party till my death" was his message to Pawar Saheb when the two met at the NCP Chief's residence at 6, Janpath in Delhi on August 23 at around 6 pm.

Few days later on August 26, Raja Sahib was handed over the reins of Himachal Pradesh Congress and also named as the chairman of the party's campaign committee, virtually declaring him the Chief Ministerial candidate. 

Rest is history as Virbhadra Singh single handedly brought the Congress back to power in the hill state with a thumping majority and became the Chief Minister for the sixth and the last time. 

The traditional green Kinnauri cap was his trademark attire. He would always insist on reading every file that he signed, and was a rare chief minister who answered the phone himself.

His death on 8 July 2021 at the age of 87 has left a huge void in the state politics and the Congress party.