Dy CM-minister’s meet fuels speculation of party rejig

The sudden closed-door meeting between Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh in Una has fuelled speculation about the appointment of the state president and reconstitution of the state Congress shortly.

The development comes amidst talks in corridors of power of a minister being appointed as state Congress president, replacing Pratibha Singh. The conjecture gained momentum as Anirudh flew in a chopper from Shimla to Una to hold parleys with the Deputy CM, leaving everyone guessing about the urgency of this meeting.

The fact that the name of Anirudh Singh, who represents the Kasumpti Assembly segment in Shimla district, is being tipped for being appointed as the State party chief has led to assumption about the meeting. The two reportedly met at a resort in Una and had one-to-one talk. There has also been talk of a minister from Shimla district being dropped as the district is over represented with Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh and Vikramaditya Singh being members of the Sukhu Cabinet.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Anirudh is willing to become the state president provided he is allowed to continue as a minister. Otherwise, none of the ministers are keen to take on the party responsibility after quitting the Cabinet. There is one vacancy in the Cabinet with several aspirants which include MLAs Sunder Thakur, Sanjay Awasthy, Sanjay Rattan and Ashish Butail.

Since Rajni Patil, Rajya Sabha MP and state Congress In-charge, is scheduled to arrive here on April 24-25, the possibility of the two leaders holding parleys to forge consensus cannot be ruled out. Patil, who replaced Rajeev Shukla as state Congress In-charge, during her visit here on March 1 after her appointment had said that the state body would be revamped within 15 days but the wait still continues.

Even though it is uncertain whether Pratibha Singh, former Mandi MP and wife of six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will get a second term, the sudden meeting has led to speculation about the appointment of a new state Congress president. There is also talk that the two discussed the appointment of the new state Congress president through consensus and the reconstitution of the state Congress executive and other party committees.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu would want his loyalists and trusted man to be appointed as the state president and Anirudh fits into scheme of things.

The state executive of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) and presidents of the District Congress Committee (DCC) and the Block Congress Committee (BCC) had been dissolved on November 6, 2024. Patil replaced Shukla as State Congress In-charge on February 15, 2025.

Himachal Tribune