Himachal Congress set for major overhaul, inactive office-bearers may be axed, Virbhadra camp may get 2 working president posts
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Shimla:In a move aimed at revitalising the Himachal Pradesh Congress, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) is poised for a significant reshuffle. Congress state president Pratibha Singh confirmed that preparations are complete and a proposal to remove inactive officials from their posts has been submitted to the party’s high command. Now, the green signal from Congress’ central leadership is all that remains before changes are implemented.
Sources said a comprehensive list of inactive officials has been prepared and submitted. As soon as the approval is received, inactive officials will be replaced with active and dynamic party workers, marking a strategic shift ahead of future elections.
Since Pratibha Singh’s appointment as the Congress state president in April 2022 — a move that saw her succeed Kuldeep Rathore as part of the Congress’ ‘Virbhadra card’ strategy — significant structural changes have taken place within the Himachal Congress.
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Alongside Pratibha, four associates of the late Virbhadra Singh, including Rajinder Rana, Pawan Kajal Harsh Mahajan, and Vinay Kumar, were initially appointed as working presidents.
However, three of these leaders have since defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party, leaving only Vinay Kumar in the fold.
In May 2022, the Congress high command took further steps to address factionalism within the state Congress by adding 64 new officials to a “jumbo executive” within the PCC, bringing the total to over 250 leaders across various roles. However, many of these leaders reportedly remained inactive in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, prompting the current move to revamp the organization with a more focused team.
The unusually high number of PCC officials has raised eyebrows, especially when compared to larger states like Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress state executive consists of just 41 officials. Pratibha recently met senior Congress leaders in Delhi, underscoring the urgency to finalise this reshuffle.
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Party insiders suggest that a consensus is being sought to balance representation between factions aligned with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the “Holy Lodge” camp, led by Pratibha.
To further strengthen the organisation, two additional working presidents may be appointed from the Holy Lodge camp, complementing the appointments of Sanjay Awasthi and Chandrashekhar from Sukhu’s camp in March 2024.
The overhaul will also focus on bringing in fresh blood from the Youth Congress, whose organisational elections are currently underway. The new Youth Congress executive, expected in early November, will see its outgoing officials joining the PCC, injecting youthful energy and renewed commitment into the party’s structure.
