Shimla (Sunil Chadha)
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has once again appointed Rajani Patil as the Himachal Pradesh Congress in-charge, replacing Rajeev Shukla.
In a letter issued late Friday night, Congress’ national general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal announced that Patil would take over as the in-charge of both Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh Congress.
This marks Patil’s second term in this role. She was first appointed as Himachal Congress in-charge in May 2018, replacing Sushil Kumar Shinde. However, in September 2020, she was replaced by Rajeev Shukla.
In December 2023, the Congress reshuffled the in-charge of several states, retaining Shukla in Himachal and also assigning him the charge of Chandigarh. Now, with Patil’s return, the party has once again placed its faith in her leadership.
Patil’s most immediate responsibility will be to oversee the formation of the new state executive committees. In November 2023, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had dissolved the Himachal Pradesh Congress’ block, district and state-level committees, leaving the party without a formal organisational structure.
Two Himachal ministers slam party’s weakening structure
Her reappointment comes at a time when internal dissatisfaction within the Himachal Congress is rising. Two cabinet ministers from the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government — Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar and Health Minister Dhaniram Shandil — have publicly criticised the delay in revamping the party organisation.
Shandil, a senior Congress leader, described the lack of an organisational structure as a serious threat to the party’s strength in the state.
“A strong organisation is the foundation of any political party. Without a structured leadership, we risk losing our grassroots support,” Shandil said from the state Secretariat in Shimla.
He also emphasised the need to revive leadership training programmes, recalling how former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had invested in mentoring young Congress leaders.
His remarks echo those of Chander Kumar, who had earlier warned that the lack of organisational structure had left the party “paralysed” and disconnected from the people.
Panchayat elections add to Congress’ urgency
Patil’s biggest challenge will be to rebuild the party’s grassroots machinery before the upcoming panchayati raj elections later this year.
With the state Congress unit still lacking key organisational committees, party workers are struggling to coordinate election efforts, fuelling frustration among leaders and workers alike.
Congress high command under pressure to act
With two ministers now openly questioning the party’s internal functioning, the Congress high command is facing increasing pressure to act swiftly. So far, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has not responded to these concerns. However, sources indicate that the leadership in Delhi is taking note of the growing dissent.
Political analysts warn that further delays in organisational reforms could severely impact Congress’ performance in the 2024 panchayat elections and beyond.
With Patil back in charge, all eyes will be on whether she can restore stability and rebuild the party’s structure in time.
