New HPCC chief faces tough task of taking all factions together

The Congress high command has finally appointed three-time Renukaji legislator Vinay Kumar as the state president while trying to strike caste and regional balance as has been the tradition in Himachal polity.

It is after a lapse of one year that the Central leadership finally ended the wait for the new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief. The inordinate delay on the part of the high command in finalising the name of the new Congress President has left the party cadres demoralised and a defunct organisation with no state, district or block bodies.

Vinay, whose father Dr Prem Singh was a six-time MLA from Renukaji (SC) Assembly segment in Sirmaur district, faces the onerous task of forging unity and taking all factions together with two years left for the Assembly polls due in December 2027. Vinay has won three consecutive elections in 2012, 2017 and 2022.

“It will be a tight ropewalk for Vinay while constituting the state level team and appointing District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents as all senior leaders would want their loyalists accommodated in the party units,” said a senior leader.

The party high command has tactically chosen a leader from the reserved category, considering the fact that more than 25 per cent of the population belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC). In his appointment, the high command has been able to strike caste balance as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu belongs to the dominant Rajput caste. The CM was himself keen that a leader from the SC category be entrusted the reins of the party.

The outgoing state Congress president Pratibha Singh too was a Rajput but her appointment was a political compulsion for the party to keep Virbhadra faction in good humour. With the appointment of Vinay, the caste balance has now been set right.

Sensing the importance of having regional balance, the high command chose a leader from Upper Himachal as Vinay hails from Sirmaur district. CM himself hails from Hamirpur which is part of Lower Himachal.

It is expected that Vinay, though perceived to be close to Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, will give due importance to all factions. He enjoys good relations with the outgoing state president Pratibha Singh as well as CM Sukhu. The fact that there is clamour in the party for the lone vacant berth in the Cabinet and many aspirants for the post of Deputy Speaker could lead to bickering in the party.

Interestingly, Vinay is the lone working president out of four appointed by AICC who are in the Congress. The three other working presidents- Harsh Mahajan, Rajinder Rana and Pawan Kajal — appointed by the high command before the 2022 polls deserted the party before the elections.

Even though the polls to the urban local bodies and panchayat raj institutions (PRI) have been deferred for the time being the party will have to gear up for the elections as and when they are held. The polls to the PRI elections are not held on party symbols, but candidate are backed by party leaders. So, Congress will have to gear up its cadres.