Shimla: A crucial meeting of the Congress is set to take place in Shimla as part of efforts to form a new organisational structure in Himachal Pradesh. The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has deployed two leaders, state co-incharge Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan, to hold discussions over two days with various Congress leaders. Following these meetings, they will report back to the high command with feedback and recommendations.
For the first time, AICC leaders have been specifically sent to Himachal Pradesh to oversee the formation of a new organisational structure, indicating a shift from the traditional approach where the state president holds significant decision-making power.
Pratibha sole office-bearer left in state structure
Current Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh, the sole office-bearer left in the state structure, may not receive the usual autonomy in shaping her team this time. Last month, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge had dissolved the state, district and block committees, leaving Pratibha as the sole leader in charge.
Traditionally, state presidents have the authority to form their own teams. However, it appears that Pratibha Singh may have limited flexibility in this process. In addition to sending Chaudhary and Chauhan, the AICC has deployed four observers at the parliamentary constituency level and twelve at the district and block levels, whose input will be pivotal in shaping the new organizational structure.
Emissaries to meet Congress ex-state chief too
As part of this process, Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan will meet with current and former Congress state presidents, with all leaders instructed to attend the sessions. After discussions with current and former presidents, the AICC secretaries will also meet with senior Congress leaders in the state. On Tuesday (November 26, 2024), they are scheduled to meet with the heads of all frontal organisations within the Congress in Himachal Pradesh.
According to sources, the two AICC leaders will gather suggestions from various state leaders on forming the organisation and may also assess feedback on the current state government. The Himachal Pradesh Congress has been under scrutiny from the opposition BJP, which has been critical of Congress’s promises. Pratibha has recently been holding meetings with senior state Congress leaders to lobby for her own team, and last week, she also met with Rajeev Shukla, Congress incharge for Himachal Pradesh, in Delhi.
Congress primarily divided into two factions
The state Congress is primarily divided into two factions: one aligned with Pratibha Singh, who is associated with the Holy Lodge legacy, and the other supporting Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Clashes between the two groups have surfaced multiple times, occasionally even affecting government and organisational operations. Insiders reveal that the high command dispatched AICC secretaries and observers to Himachal Pradesh with the goal of addressing this factionalism, aiming to build a unified organization ahead of upcoming challenges.
