SPECIAL POLITICAL STORY
MUNISH SOOD
MANDI
The prolonged uncertainty over the expansion of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet has taken a new political turn, with the simmering rivalry within the state’s political circles spilling into an open war of words between BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma and Congress MLA Sunder Singh Thakur on social media.
The latest exchange has added a fresh twist to the Congress high command’s continuing deliberations over filling the vacant Cabinet berth. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and several of his Cabinet colleagues have been making repeated trips to Delhi amid efforts to arrive at a consensus on the much-awaited expansion.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is understood to have interacted individually with the Himachal ministers during the latest round of discussions. While the Congress leadership is yet to announce any decision, the exercise has once again brought the competing claims of different regions and aspirants into sharp focus.
For months, Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur has been widely tipped as a frontrunner for the vacant berth. His name has figured prominently in political discussions, and Chief Minister Sukhu has on more than one occasion made public references that were interpreted as indications of Thakur’s likely induction into the Cabinet.
However, the equation has become increasingly complicated with the party leadership also keen on giving adequate representation to Kangra, the state’s largest political district with 15 Assembly constituencies. Palampur MLA Ashish Butail has consequently emerged as a strong contender in the race.
The regional arithmetic has added another layer to the decision. While Kullu has four Assembly constituencies, Kangra accounts for 15, making representation from the district an important political consideration for the Congress leadership ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
Against this backdrop, a Facebook post by Dharamshala BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma has triggered fresh speculation. Sharma referred to a “Sunderkand” being performed in Delhi, a remark widely interpreted in political circles as a pointed reference to the ongoing Delhi meetings and the speculation surrounding Sunder Singh Thakur’s possible elevation.
Thakur responded sharply, taking the exchange into personal territory. In his reply, he said that a Sunderkand is performed for the peace and well-being of a household, but alleged that the “kands” carried out by his political rival were in other people’s homes.
The exchange has since become the latest manifestation of the political rivalry between the two legislators.
Sharma, a former Congress leader who later joined the BJP, has been a vocal critic of the Sukhu government. Thakur, on the other hand, is considered close to the Chief Minister. Their latest social-media confrontation has therefore acquired significance beyond a routine political spat, particularly at a time when the Congress leadership is grappling with competing claims over the Cabinet berth.
The episode also underlines the growing pressure on the Sukhu government to resolve the Cabinet issue. The vacancy has remained a subject of political discussion for several months, with different names being floated and expectations repeatedly raised without a final announcement.
What was initially an internal exercise over Cabinet expansion has now turned into a wider political contest involving regional representation, competing aspirants and rival political camps.
With the Congress leadership yet to take a final call, the question is no longer merely who will get the vacant Cabinet berth, but also which political equation will ultimately prevail — the Chief Minister’s preference or the high command’s regional balancing strategy.
For now, the berth remains vacant, while the political temperature around the issue continues to rise — both in Delhi’s closed-door meetings and on Himachal’s Facebook walls.
