Himachal Congress Leadership Revamp: Delhi Meet, New Chief Soon

In a significant move towards revitalizing the Himachal Pradesh Congress, six key party leaders have been summoned to Delhi for crucial meetings with the central leadership. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has publicly stated that a new state party president will be appointed within the next ten days, bringing an end to the extended period of organizational restructuring. The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, along with its district and block units, has been largely dormant since their dissolution on November 6, 2024, by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. This hiatus has led to increasing calls from party members for the swift reconstitution of leadership, particularly with the approaching panchayat elections, which are dependent on infrastructure repairs following the monsoon crisis. Pratibha Singh’s tenure as state president formally concluded in April 2025, further underscoring the urgency of the situation. The leaders called to Delhi are reportedly Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar, and MLAs Kuldeep Rathore, Ashish Butail, Vinod Sultanpuri, and Suresh Kumar. These meetings, convened by Mallikarjun Kharge on the recommendation of Rahul Gandhi, will involve a comprehensive approach, starting with a joint session and followed by one-on-one dialogues. Chief Minister Sukhu has conveyed his suggestions to the party high command, indicating a preference for prioritizing a Scheduled Caste leader for the presidency or consulting the state cabinet if a sitting minister is considered. He clarified that no specific name has been proposed by him. The party is also reportedly weighing the appointment of three working presidents to ensure equitable regional and caste representation within the new state leadership framework, while adhering to the ‘one man, one post’ principle.