Dharamshala (S Gopal Puri)
Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu’s much-anticipated winter tour to Kangra was delayed on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions. The visit, aimed at strengthening the government’s presence in the region, will primarily focus on four constituencies: Dehra, Kangra, Jawali, and Nurpur, along with Dharamshala by default.
Most of the constituencies on the CM’s itinerary are represented by BJP leaders. Pawan Kajal represents Kangra, Ranbir Singh Nikka holds Nurpur, and Sudhir Sharma represents Dharamshala. Among Congress-led constituencies, Dehra and Jawali stand out, with Dehra notably represented by the Chief Minister’s wife, Kamlesh Kumari.
Despite the significance of this visit, the younger Congress MLAs from Kangra are conspicuously missing from the CM’s agenda. Constituencies like Shahpur, Nagrota, Palampur, and Fatehpur, all led by young and dynamic Congress leaders, are yet to find a place in the tour plan. This omission raises questions about the party’s strategy to support and highlight its emerging leadership in the region.
Kangra district, once a stronghold of towering leaders like GS Bali, Sat Mahajan, Shanta Kumar, and Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, now faces a leadership vacuum following their demise or exit from active politics. This void has left both BJP and Congress struggling to project a unifying face for the district, which remains a critical political battleground in Himachal Pradesh.
The CM’s Kangra tour holds significance not only for governance but also for navigating this evolving political dynamic, where new leadership is yet to fill the shoes of the stalwarts who once defined Kangra’s political landscape.
