Shimla: A cryptic social media post by Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Saturday (May 3, 2025) afternoon, reading “Saajishon ka daur… jhoot ke paavn nahin hote” (An era of conspiracies… lies can’t last long), has sparked speculation and stirred political waters in the hill state.
The timing of the post is particularly significant as Agnihotri is currently in New Delhi along with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Pradesh Congress Committee president Pratibha Singh and other senior party leaders.
The Himachal leadership attended a Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Friday, convened to strategise in the aftermath of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam. Another key issue on the table is the Enforcement Directorate’s summons to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald money laundering case.
Factionalism within Himachal Congress
The post has added fuel to the fire within a party already grappling with intense factionalism. The Himachal Congress is sharply divided, with major camps led by Chief Minister Sukhu and Pratibha Singh, the wife of six-term former CM late Virbhadra Singh.
Agnihotri and Theog MLA and former state Congress president Kuldeep Rathore hold considerable sway within the party but both are not of late seen as firmly aligned with either the Sukhu or Holly Lodge (Pratibha Singh) factions.
Though the official CWC agenda centred on the nationwide “Save the Constitution” campaign, party insiders say that the long-pending restructuring of the Himachal Pradesh Congress unit was also up for discussion.
The Himachal Congress has been without district and block-level leadership for nearly six months, an absence that has paralysed grassroots functioning and deepened internal discontent.
Senior party figures, including Cabinet Minister Chander Kumar, have publicly criticised the state unit’s inaction, calling it “paralysed” and directionless.
Cabinet expansion, reshuffle likely on cards
Agnihotri’s post is being interpreted in political circles as a subtle message amid behind-the-scenes discussions about the future of the Himachal Congress leadership.
With one ministerial berth still vacant, there is growing talk of an imminent cabinet expansion or reshuffle. Discussions with the party high command in Delhi are expected to influence both organisational and ministerial appointments.
A journalist-turned-politician and MLA from Haroli in Una district, Agnihotri was a close aide of the late Virbhadra Singh and served as Leader of the Opposition during the previous BJP regime.
Considered a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post after the Congress victory in 2022, Agnihotri ultimately lost out to Sukhu and was appointed Deputy CM. It is believed that the high command went ahead with Sukhu as he belonged to the majority Rajput community in Himachal whereas Agnihotri is a Brahmin.
Sunil Chadha
