Shimla, Oct 9  Congress general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi will visit the Himachal Pradesh capital next week, state party chief Kaul Singh Thakur said Friday.

"Rahul Gandhi will visit Shimla next week for a day. During his visit here, he will also interact with students from Himachal Pradesh University," Thakur told IANS.

"The date of his visit is yet to be finalised. The tentative date is Oct 15," he said.

Sources in the party said the aim of Gandhi's visit to the university was to strengthen the state unit of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), which has been marginalised over the years.

Gandhi has been criss-crossing the country in his bid to mobilise youth for the party and its youth wings. Last week he was in Tripura and in Kerala to interact with the young. (IANS)