In a significant move aimed at restructuring the Congress party in Himachal Pradesh, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has dissolved the entire state party unit, including the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), district presidents, and Block Congress Committees, effective immediately. This decision comes nearly a year after the Congress formed the government in the state in December 2022, marking the first major shake-up of the state party leadership since then.
Pratibha Singh, the outgoing PCC president and wife of former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, has been serving as a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party’s highest decision-making body. Singh was appointed to lead the Himachal Congress in April 2022.
A statement from AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal confirmed the dissolution, stating, “Congress president has approved the proposal to dissolve the entire state unit of the PCC, district presidents, and Block Congress Committees of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, with immediate effect.”
The move is seen as a response to ongoing factionalism within the state unit, which became apparent during the Rajya Sabha elections when Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lost to BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. Reports indicated that several party MLAs defected and cross-voted during the elections, further exposing divisions within the party.
In a related development, Mahajan, who switched from Congress to BJP, was appointed one of the working presidents of the Himachal Congress, highlighting the extent of the infighting. Names of potential replacements for the state Congress chief role are already circulating, with key figures like Anirudh Singh and Harshvardhan Chauhan being mentioned as possible contenders.
This move by the Congress leadership follows a similar strategy earlier this year when the party dissolved the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) after a poor performance in the 2024 elections. The OPCC president and other office-bearers were removed in July, and a 15-member coordination committee has since been overseeing the state party’s activities.
The dissolution of the Himachal Pradesh Congress unit marks a significant step in the party’s efforts to reorganize and address internal challenges ahead of future elections.
