Himachal Congress chief decides not to contest Lok Sabha polls, says ground condition not favourable

In a setback to Congress, Pratibha Singh, the Himachal Pradesh Congress chief and Mandi MP, declared on Wednesday her decision to refrain from contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, citing an unfavorable ground situation.

Declaring her decision before the press in Shimla, Singh expressed, "I have toured the state extensively and found that no worker is active and in such a situation, it is difficult to achieve success."

Elaborating on her decision, she stated, "I have declined to contest elections as I am not in a position to put up a fight. You cannot win polls just by distributing MPLAD funds."


Singh emphasized the crucial role of party workers, indicating that their involvement and recognition are imperative for electoral success. She asserted that if these workers, who contributed significantly to the party's victory in the assembly polls, were accorded responsibilities and importance, they would have been more active on the ground.

This announcement from Singh delivers a significant blow to the ruling Congress party in Himachal Pradesh, raising questions about the party's prospects and internal dynamics ahead of the forthcoming elections.

Following the disqualification of six legislators in Himachal Pradesh due to rebellion, the Congress has delayed the selection of its candidates for the Lok Sabha constituencies of Shimla, Hamirpur, Mandi, and Kangra. Despite a meeting of the party's central election committee in Delhi on Tuesday, no final decision was reached. The committee postponed the decision until next month to allow the political situation to stabilize. Additionally, candidate selection for the six assembly by-elections, scheduled to be held concurrently with the parliamentary polls on June 1, remains undecided. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, and State Party President Pratibha Singh represented Himachal Pradesh at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the BJP, the main rival, has already nominated sitting MPs for two Lok Sabha seats: Suresh Kashyap for Shimla (SC) and Union Minister Anurag Thakur for Hamirpur. Decisions regarding candidates for Kangra and Mandi are expected shortly.

In the past two Lok Sabha elections of 2014 and 2019, the Congress failed to secure any seats. However, after the demise of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in 2021, his wife, Pratibha Singh, won the Mandi seat for the party, benefiting from a sympathy wave.