Election of Shimla MC Mayor: Venugopal to rush to HP

Shimla, May 10 – All India Congress committee held a meeting at New Delhi Wednesday to discuss about the election of Shimla MC Mayor and Deputy Mayor as the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Congress state President Pratibha Singh met at Himachal Bhavan Delhi Tuesday and also discussed about the election of new Mayor and Deputy Mayor with party high command Wednesday.
As it has been stated that party returns to power in the city government on May 4 after gap of 11 years and won 24 seats in 34 member house.
According to party sources AICC Secretary K C Venugopal is likely to rush Himachal Pradesh by Wednesday after meeting held between Pratibha Singh and Mr Sukhu who transpired about the possible choice of new Mayor and Deputy Mayor. There are report that post of Mayor would be given to senior most male councilor and post of Deputy Mayor may be rotated after gap of two and half year between woman and man councilor. Party is in affix after number of woman member in 34 member Shimla MC is 21. Now the party has deployed Mr K C Venugopal to take the final opinion of party elected councilors before announcing the name of new Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Notably , there is also churning in the party high command about induction of three vacant post of Minister in Sukhvindre Singh Sukhu Government. The three berth of cabinet minister is yet to be filled moreover Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was also asked by the AICC to come Delhi today.
There are lot of speculation in the power circles about post of Dy CM and CPS which is filled by the Sukhvinder Singh Government and also challenged in the High court by the opposition BJP. There are also deep furore among the party leader over anti-party activities by some of the party senior leaders against whom party high command may take action.
Due to infighting and undercutting some of the senior councilors have lost Shimla MC elections by shifting party votes to BJP councillors. The party could not bury its difference in the factions led by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Pratibha Singh. As Party could win only a lone seat in Mandi district in recent assembly elections from where Congress president Pratibha Singh is MP.
Similarly there are report that Three time councilor Jintender Chauhdary who was party district Shimla president lost Shimla MC poll by more than 300 votes from Mennu Chauhan of BJP. Party also lost election in five wards of Kasumpti assembly out of 12 wards in Shimla MC also shows that Chief Minister managed to win the Shimla MC election however antiparty factions tried to defeat the Congress.
Does Congress want change state organisation like BJP in the state, there are speculation that AICC is not happy with the information that party did not fight united face Shimla MC election and efforts are being made to create friction in the party unit. After toppling of number of Congress government by the BJP in the country it could not allow any rift in the state organisation and Congress government and party high command recently adopted strategy to give on post and berth to each party leader and if Ms Pratibha Singh is keen to fight MP election from Mandi she must have left the party president posts.
The party high command is not happy with her the way she has projected her as Chief Ministerial candidate after party win assembly election in 2022. AICC was in favour of Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu but the Pratibha Singh tried to project her as CM face. It is worthwhile to mentioned here that Ms. Pratibha Singh would not be in the town tomorrow as she would under go eye surgery at Chandigarh.
There are also speculation that three Congress MLAs Mr Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana and Rajesh Dharmani may be elevated as new minister if there is any change in the state party leadership to strike the balance in the state party leadership. Among those who could be led the party include Thakur Kaul Singh, Ram Lal Thakur and Kuldeep Rathore.