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Stalwart gone, Himachal’s Cong unit stares at leadership crisis
Virbhadra Singh was considered to be the binding force, though a small faction in the Congress always opposed him; there is a battery of second-generation leaders who are ready to take charge, but nobody enjoys the cult support as Singh
With the death of tallest leader and undisputed face of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, the question now is who will carry forward his rich political legacy and steer the party amid turbulent times.
Singh, known for his indomitable fighting spirit, passed away at 87 on Thursday after battling prolonged illness due to post-Covid complications.
His death has not only left a deep void in the state politics, but placed the Congress at the crossroads ahead of the 2022 assembly polls. Singh, whose political career spanned nearly six decades, had his own arch rivals in the party who threw challenges before him time and again. He deftly handed his opponents in the party as well. He was considered to be the binding force, though a small faction in the Congress always opposed him.
There is a battery of second-generation leaders — AICC secretary Asha Kumari, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, former state president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, and former ministers GS Bali, Harshwardhan Chauhan and Sudhir Sharma — who are ready to take charge, but nobody enjoys the cult support as Singh.
Quick-witted and charismatic, Virbhadra Singh was the leader who could keep his flock together even against the will of party high command and had led the party to victory single-handedly on several occasions.
Singh faced many challenges to his authority from young leaders, but he ably fought them off.
With the assembly elections due next year, the Congress needs a face acceptable as much as Virbhadra, if not equivalent to him.
Drawing a consensus on the chief minister’s face will be an uphill task for the party high command as the Himachal Congress remains a divided house. “It’s too early for me to comment. Let the events take shape,” said Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathore.
Former Union minister Anand Sharma could have been a unanimous choice, but he has already fallen out of favour of the Gandhi family ever since he and other leaders wrote a dissenting letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding an “effective leadership”. Also, he has been away from the state politics and doesn’t enjoy mass following among the people of Himachal.
Another big name is Vidya Stokes, but she is already above 90 years of age and has quit active politics.
As of now, Mukesh Aghinotri is the front-runner to take the reins, but he may not get support from all party leaders.
Sudhir Sharma, the blue-eyed boy of the former chief minister, was also seen as a probable candidate, but his defeat in the 2017 assembly election has harmed his prospects.
GS Bali has been aspiring for the chief minister’s post for long, but his clout is inadequate to make a big change.
Five-time legislator Harshwardhan Chauhan is the senior-most Congress leader from Sirmaur district which is a part of the old Himachal that for long has remained a strong bastion of the grand old party.
Himachal Pradesh has changed government alternatively since 1990 and the Congress was considering 2022 to be its turn. However, Virbhadra Singh’s death has left the party in a lurch which now stares at a leadership crisis.
“We are in the mourning right now. The party high command with sit with state leaders to make an appropriate choice,” said AICC co-incharge for Himachal, Sanjay Dutt.
The BJP, meanwhile, would be considering its ‘Mission Repeat’ a bit easy but it would not surely be a cakewalk.
To win the elections, the Congress will have to put a united face despite its internal differences as the tussle for leadership may doom its future.
