DHARAMSHALA: Nearly three months after dissolving all its organisational committees in Himachal Pradesh, the ruling Congress is still functioning without a formal structure.
With panchayat elections approaching, the prolonged delay in forming new committees could weaken the Congress presence at the grassroots and mobilisation efforts, say insiders.
They say party workers are growing increasingly impatient, hoping for a swift resolution to avoid further setbacks in the upcoming electoral battle.
The state, district, and block committees were disbanded by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on November 6, 2024, and there is no visible progress toward forming a new setup.
Sources said the party’s crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, where it lost all four seats to the BJP, played a significant role in the decision to overhaul the organisation.
No organisational activities for three months
Over the past three months, no organisational activities have taken place, leaving the Congress headquarters without any activity and party workers disheartened.
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Pratibha Singh remains the sole office-bearer. And this is despite the Congress being in power in Himachal Pradesh.
In contrast, the BJP has surged ahead, enrolling 1.8 million new members and appointing new block and district presidents.
With renewed energy, the BJP has been aggressively targeting the Congress government on various issues. However, the Congress currently lacks key office-bearers to defend the government effectively.
Along with the state, district and block committees, the women’s and youth wings of the Congress have also been dissolved by the high command, awaiting reconstitution.
High command had sent observers in November
To address this, the party had appointed Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan as observers in November 2024, alongside others at parliamentary and district levels, to gather feedback from grassroots leaders.
These observers have submitted their reports to the high command, but the formation of new executive bodies is still pending.
When the panels were dissolved, there were assurances that new committees would be in place before the New Year. However, the delay continues, with observers citing the Delhi elections as a reason for the hold-up.
For first time, observers deployed for restructuring
A senior leader said that the new state and district executive committees had been almost finalised and would be announced soon, with block-level committees to follow.
For the first time, the Congress has deployed observers for organisational restructuring, indicating that the state president may not have complete autonomy in selecting the team.
Unlike previous instances when presidents were given a free hand to form teams, this time the appointments would be based on observer reports.
