Congress moves to set House in order in Himachal Pradesh

Almost two years after Himachal Pradesh Congress president Pratibha Singh's term ended, the party has begun reorganising its state unit. The high command has called six MLAs to Delhi this week to finalise the leadership. Sources said the party may adopt a tested formula - one state president and four working presidents - to balance regions and factions.

The rivalry between former CM Virbhadra Singh's family and CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu looms large over the decision. Outgoing president and Virbhadra Singh's wife, Pratibha Singh, and their son Vikramaditya have been openly challenging Sukhu. Their camp gained a boost after Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi attended a public function in Shimla to unveil Virbhadra Singh's statue - a rare appearance by Sonia.

All eyes are now on who wins the organisational battle. For the top post, the party is considering a Dalit face - former working president Vinay Kumar is seen as the frontrunner. The key challenge for the ruling Congress is to keep its flock together. Ahead of the 2022 assembly polls, two of four working presidents - Pawan Kumar and Harsh Mahajan - joined the BJP. Later, Rajendra Rana also crossed over, leaving Vinay Kumar as the only working president still in the party.


Other names doing the rounds include Dalit leader Suresh Kumar, former state president Kuldeep Rathore, and education minister Rohit Thakur.