Munish Sood
MANDI: The Congress’ “Vote Chor, Kursi Chhod” rally in Shimla on Sunday turned chaotic when slogans in support of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh were raised in front of central leaders.
What began as an enthusiastic show of strength soon descended into a noisy confrontation, forcing Congress state president Pratibha Singh to halt her speech midway.
The two groups of party workers — loyalists of CM Sukhu and Vikramaditya Singh, son of late former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh — raised competing slogans, creating a tense situation. Order was restored only after party co-incharge Chetan Chauhan intervened and appealed for calm.
Pratibha Singh appeals for unity
After the disruption subsided, Pratibha Singh resumed her address, praising the energy of the party workers but urging them to channel it constructively. She reminded them that Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had strongly taken up the issue of “vote theft” and now the Congress in Himachal would take that fight to every village.
The clash of slogans is the latest reflection of the long-standing rift between Sukhu and the Virbhadra Singh family. The rivalry dates back to 2013 when Sukhu was appointed as the state Congress president. His decision to sideline Virbhadra loyalists from key organisational roles angered the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, triggering an internal battle within the party.
Ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, tensions grew so severe that Virbhadra Singh publicly declared he would not contest polls that year. Although the Congress eventually fought the elections under his leadership, the party performed poorly, and the high command failed to bridge the divide between the two camps.
In January 2019, Sukhu was removed as Pradesh Congress president, a decision that further deepened the rift. Disheartened by the move, many of his supporters reportedly stayed away from the 2019 Lok Sabha campaign.
Even after Virbhadra Singh’s death in July 2021, the feud has persisted. His son Vikramaditya Singh has often expressed differences with CM Sukhu.
The Shimla rally once again highlighted that the factional struggle inside Himachal Pradesh Congress is far from over. The competitive sloganeering between Sukhu and Vikramaditya loyalists not only disrupted a major party event but also underscored how old wounds in the Congress organisation continue to shape its present politics.
