SHIMLA: In a sudden announcement, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal dissolved the entire Himachal Pradesh Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), along with its district and block units, triggering political ripples throughout the state’s Congress camp.
This abrupt decision has left Congress leaders in Himachal reeling and fueled speculation of fresh turmoil in the party’s ranks.
This shakeup follows last year's dramatic Rajya Sabha election upset, where BJP’s Harsh Mahajan clinched victory against Congress heavyweight Abhishek Manu Singhvi, triggering a chain of crises.
Six Congress MLAs had even rebelled, leading to their disqualification and shrinking the Congress majority in the Vidhan Sabha from 40 to 34 seats. Even two independents from Nalagarh and Hamirpur had switched over to BJP.
Congress government survived and the party managed a comeback, reclaiming numbers through recent by-elections, but suffered losses in Dharamshala, and Barsar that have kept the leadership on edge.
Currently, the Himachal PCC was headed by Pratibha Singh, wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh and mother of Vikramaditya Singh, the state’s PWD Minister and Shimla Rural MLA.
After her exit from Congress, Pratibha Singh has no post now. She has been lying low recently giving rise to speculation about her gameplan if any, commented a party worker.
Tensions flared last year when Vikramaditya expressed his dismay with CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, suggesting a widening rift within the party.
Now, with the Sukhu government marking its two-year anniversary in December, this AICC decision adds fresh intrigue, potentially signaling Sukhu’s bid to install loyalists in the state Congress leadership.
Political analysts see this move as both a warning and a strategic play by the high command.
BJP leaders, including former CM Jai Ram Thakur, have already latched onto the chaos, predicting a possible downfall of the Sukhu government while pushing an aggressive membership drive across Himachal.
At the same time, the BJP has criticized Congress for allegedly mishandling the state's financial crisis, exacerbated by last year’s and this year’s monsoon disasters.
While the Sukhu government is pressing for central aid, BJP leaders claim the Congress-led state has failed to coordinate with the Center.
On the other CM Sukhu has been accusing the BJP of misleading the Modi government at the Centre not pleading for overdue support for Himachal Pradesh.
For now, all eyes are on how Sukhu and the Congress leadership will put new state unit after this sudden reset in Himachal politics.
