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Congress Forms Committee Amid Rebellion in Himachal Pradesh Unit

Kalyani Jha
10 Mar, 2024

As the political turmoil escalates within the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress party, the party's high command has taken decisive action by forming a six-member committee aimed at fostering better coordination between the government and the Congress organization in the hill state.

The formation of the committee comes in the wake of a significant development where 11 MLAs from Himachal Pradesh, including six from the Congress party and three independents, crossed over to BJP-ruled Uttarakhand. Their decision to remain in Uttarakhand until the Supreme Court hears their disqualification plea has further intensified the political crisis.

The newly constituted six-member committee comprises prominent figures such as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Himachal Pradesh Congress President Pratibha Singh, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, Kaul Singh Thakur, Dhaniram Shandil, and Ram Lal Thakur. This committee is tasked with enhancing coordination between the government and the Congress organization in Himachal Pradesh, with the aim of addressing the ongoing rebellion within the party ranks.

The rebel Congress MLAs, currently encamped in Rishikesh, have called upon Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to reflect on the situation and identify the root causes of the political crisis in the hill state. Expressing their disappointment with the Chief Minister's statements against them, the rebel MLAs have questioned Sukhu's approach, highlighting the need for introspection and resolution of the underlying issues.

Among the prominent figures involved, six Congress MLAs were disqualified from the Himachal Pradesh Assembly for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. This includes Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), Sudhir Sharma (Dharamshala), Indradutt Lakhanpal (Barsar), Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti), Chaitanya Sharma (Gagret), and Devendra Bhutto (Kutlehar). Additionally, independent MLAs Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra), and KL Thakur (Nalagarh) voted for the BJP candidate, leading to the victory of Harsh Mahajan.

In a proactive move against the rebel MLAs, the Himachal Pradesh Police has initiated legal action against the fathers of Congress rebel Chetanya Sharma and independent MLA Ashish Sharma. This action is in response to electoral malpractice allegations related to cross-voting in the recent Rajya Sabha polls, which resulted in the unexpected defeat of the Congress candidate despite the party's substantial majority.

As tensions continue to simmer within the Himachal Pradesh political landscape, the actions and decisions of key stakeholders, including the newly formed committee and law enforcement agencies, will play a crucial role in navigating through the current crisis and restoring stability in the region.