Congress searches for CM consensus amid chaos

The Congress’s lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh on Friday entrusted the party’s central leadership to pick the next chief minister, as factions competing for the state’s top job appeared far from a consensus a day after winning a decisive election victory.

The Congress observers – Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former chief minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla – met the governor and submitted a list of the party’s winning candidates.

The Congress won its first assembly elections in nearly four years on Thursday in Himachal Pradesh, with 40 of the 68 seats in the assembly, keeping alive the state’s tradition of voting out the incumbent every five years. But almost immediately, multiple aspirants for the CM’s position emerged, with Mandi MP Pratibha Singh, former state unit chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and former leader of Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri seen as the front-runners.

This brought back memories of similar crises that roiled the party in the two other states it is in power on its own— Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The central Congress leadership called a meeting of the newly elected lawmakers in Shimla on Friday evening. The meeting was attended by lawmakers and the Congress central observers.

Shukla said, “The one-line resolution was passed unanimously and the party’s observers – Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda – would submit their report to the party high command on Saturday”. The observers also listened to the legislators one-on-one individually later, said a party leader aware of developments.

“Agnihotri moved the resolution, which was seconded by Sukhu, who headed the party’s campaign committee in the assembly elections. Rajeev Shukla asked the legislators to support the resolution by raising their hands and the statement was unanimously adopted,” said the leader cited above, requesting anonymity.

But outside chaos reigned, as various factions held shows of strength.

A second Congress leader said that there was no crisis between the claimants but admitted that there were aspirations that needed to be met. “With Virbhadra Singh’s death, there is a vacuum in the state’s politics. In his absence, there is a second rung that each have their claims. But this is not unusual, and battle lines are not quite drawn yet. The resolution was proposed by Mukesh Agnihotri, and seconded by Sukhu, which shows that everyone wants a resolution. Each MLA is being spoken to by the three observers, who will then relay that opinion to the Congress high command in Delhi,” the leader said, requesting anonymity.

A third leader said that other than the contenders, there was also a consideration between the regions of lower and upper Himachal. “Sukhu and Rajinder Rana, who also has some support, are from lower Himachal Pradesh including Kangra, Hamirpur and Una where the Congress did well,” the third leader said, requesting anonymity.

One compromise that is in the mix is convincing Pratibha Singh to give up the CM spot with the understanding that her son, Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh, will be given an important position in the cabinet, and an understanding reached with other senior leaders, said the third leader, adding that all options were open.

“I am not a CM candidate. I am a disciplined soldier and worker of the Congress party and an MLA. Party high command’s decision will be final,” said Sukhu.

Congress MLA Harshvardhan Chauhan also said that the final decision will be taken by the party high command. “Whatever decision the Congress high command takes, we will accept it. We will put forward our suggestions, but the decision will be taken according to the opinion of the elected MLAs,” he added.

Earlier in the day, supporters of Pratibha Singh stopped Baghel’s car outside his hotel and shouted slogans in her support.

The Congress has faced a problem resolving disputes among competing factions for control of the party and government positions. In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the two other states where the Congress is in power, factionalism in the past has put the survival of the government at stake.

This is why resolving the CM dispute is crucial for the Congress, which will want to run a stable government in only the third state it is in power.

The 2022 elections were the first one fought by the Congress after the demise of its stalwart, former CM Virbhadra Singh. During the campaign and immediately after the results were announced on Thursday, Pratibha Singh, his wife, reminded the people of the connection. “Virbhadra Singh’s legacy cannot be ignored,” she had said.

But if she becomes CM, she will have to resign as the MP from Mandi, and the party will have to face a parliamentary bypolls just months after its government formation. Moreover, the Congress won just six of the 17 assembly segments in her constituency.

Sukhu, the 58-year-old lawmaker from Naduan, is considered her rival.

Agnihotri, the leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly and the lawmaker from Haroli, is considered close to the Singh family.

(with agency inputs)