Photo used for indicative purpose only
Shimla, July 20,
With elections to Municipal and Panchayati Raj institutions just four months away, the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh is facing a deepening organizational crisis. For nearly nine months, the state unit of the Congress has been functioning without a formal executive body, leaving its grassroots network paralyzed and party workers demoralized.
State Congress President Pratibha Singh has raised alarm bells, writing to the party high command and urging the immediate formation of a new organizational structure at the state, district, and block levels. She cautioned that without a functioning party setup, contesting the upcoming local body elections—particularly the municipal corporation polls, which are held on party symbols—would be extremely difficult. The State Election Commission is likely to announce the poll schedule by early November, with voting expected in December.
Despite the visits of AICC observers and co-incharges across the state and the submission of reports, no progress has been made in reviving the organizational machinery. The All India Congress Committee had dissolved the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee and all subordinate units on November 6, 2024. Since then, state in-charge Rajni Patil and co-incharges Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan have given repeated assurances that the new structure would be unveiled soon, but no concrete action has followed.
The vacuum has not gone unnoticed even within the government. Several ministers in the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led administration have openly acknowledged that the absence of a formal party structure has hampered coordination, especially with regard to electoral planning and ticket distribution. Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has taken advantage of the situation by expanding its base, inducting more than 18 lakh new members and strengthening its block, district, and state-level units.
This leadership void has also affected governance, with the Congress government drawing criticism over its handling of the aftermath of natural disasters that have struck the state over the past three years. Public discontent has grown over what many see as the occasional presence of ministers in disaster-hit regions, the foreign travel of senior leaders during critical times, and the lack of a cohesive ground-level response.
Once a dominant political force in the hill state, the Congress now risks entering the local elections in a weakened and fragmented condition. Without urgent organizational restructuring and a visible, active leadership, the party could find itself outpaced by an energized opposition eager to fill the vacuum.
About the Author
The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
