The events in Himachal Pradesh eventually turned out as anticipated. The Congress strategists made erroneous decisions during the Rajya Sabha elections, the repercussions of which were initially felt in Rajasthan and are now affecting Himachal Pradesh.
The Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh witnessed political manoeuvrings. Following the voting process, it has become evident that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and his government are facing challenges. Recognising that the BJP would make strategic moves in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress opted to nominate former party president Sonia Gandhi from Rajasthan instead of Himachal Pradesh. This decision was made with the understanding that the substantial number of MLAs in Rajasthan would prevent any sabotage. However, despite this foresight, the BJP shocked the Congress by targeting working committee member, MLA, and tribal leader Mahendra Jeet Singh Malviya.
The Congress has managed to prevent leaders from defecting, but the developments in Himachal Pradesh are bound to have repercussions in several states, including Rajasthan. This isn’t the first instance of strategic misjudgement by the party. Past errors have led to the current predicament. The situation has reached a point where it has endangered the states where the party holds power. If the party had been willing, it could have prevented this situation. By nominating local leaders from Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh for Rajya Sabha seats, this situation could have been avoided. Sonia Gandhi could have contested elections from Karnataka and Telangana as well. However, this option was overlooked, possibly due to Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary representation from Kerala in the South. The rationale behind this strategy of the Congress remains beyond understanding. Not only that, Abhishek Singhvi could have been brought to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka. But the party didn’t do that. Ajay Maken and Nasir Hussain were given tickets to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka.
The party was surprised by both these names. Maken is the leader who, instead of contesting the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, went abroad, following which, he lost the Rajya Sabha election in Haryana.
In 2022, they were among the chief leaders who arranged a meeting of MLAs in Rajasthan. As a result, the party suffered a major loss. Strategists overlooked the leaders of Himachal and put their government in crisis. Himachal Pradesh Congress wanted local leader Anand Sharma to be given a ticket from Himachal.
, but the party sent Singhvi. For the first time in the history of Himachal, an outsider was given a ticket. The BJP took advantage of this mistake of Congress and pitched former Congress leader Harsh Mahajan against Singhvi.
Then outcome was expected. The BJP put pressure on Congress MLAs and turned the tables. As a result, Mahajan won the election and the Sukkhu government landed in soup. The BJP is preparing to meet the governor to bring no-confidence motion. Now in the current situation, it is not easy for Sukhu to save the government. From the Lok Sabha elections First, if the Congress government falls in Himachal, then the entire responsibility will be on the leaders sitting in Delhi.
