Political Churn in Himachal: BJP and Congress Set to Reshuffle Cadres ...But where is internal party Democracy?
Shimla: As the political climate in Himachal Pradesh heats up, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) are busy restructuring their party organizations, with an eye on aligning state leadership with the preferences of their central high commands.
The internal reshuffle aims to inject fresh blood into the party ranks, but the process is anything but democratic, exposing the growing dominance of top leadership in both camps.
With J.P. Nadda inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet, speculation is rife over the next BJP president. The party needs a bilingual leader who can toe Modi’s line as the party gears up to break electoral records with a fourth consecutive win. Among the frontrunners is former Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur. His name is doing the rounds as a potential contender, given his experience and rapport with the central leadership. On the state front, questions loom large over whether Rajeev Bindal, a known Nadda loyalist, will continue as Himachal BJP president or if the mantle will pass to a fresh face like Vipin Parmar, a Rajput leader and former Vidhan Sabha Speaker from Kangra, the state’s largest district.
Though the BJP has ostensibly conducted elections up to the district level, the process has been anything but democratic.
Most positions were filled through consensus rather than contests, signaling a deliberate strategy to maintain central control while offering cosmetic participation to grassroots workers.
The party has expanded its organizational structure by creating multiple mandals (divisions) within each constituency, hoping to energize the cadre with younger office-bearers.
Yet, the final call on key posts, including the state president, rests squarely with Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, reducing state autonomy to a mere formality.
Meanwhile, the Congress faces its own internal power struggle. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Pratibha Singh, wife of the late six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is keen to retain her grip over the state unit from the family’s political bastion at Holy Lodge in Shimla.
Her son, Vikramaditya Singh, currently serving as the PWD Minister, had previously locked horns with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, adding to the party’s internal rift.
Pratibha Singh has submitted a list of new district and block presidents to the Congress high command, but the process remains in limbo. The earlier dissolution of all state units, but it has been kept in deep freeze.
Sources suggest that the delay stems from intense lobbying by rival factions, with both the Sukhu camp and Holy Lodge loyalists vying to place their confidants in key positions.
Adding to the intrigue is the recent appointment of Rajni Patil as the new AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh. With Chief Minister Sukhu on a foreign trip shrouded in secrecy—amid whispers of health-related reasons—speculation is rife that both Sukhu and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri are pulling strings behind the scenes, anticipating potential reshuffles from the Gandhis.
The ongoing churn within both parties underscores the stark absence of internal democracy. While the BJP projects its consensus-based appointments as a mark of unity, the reality is that nominations come directly from the top.
Similarly, the Congress, once known for its electoral processes within the party, has increasingly embraced a culture of appointments driven by favoritism. The last membership drive of the Congress dates back to 2013, reflecting its inability to attract new blood into its ranks.
Ultimately, both parties seem more focused on securing the blessings of their respective central leaderships than fostering grassroots empowerment.
As the political chessboard in Himachal Pradesh continues to shift, the lack of genuine internal democracy remains a glaring flaw, raising questions about the future of participatory politics in the state.
