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In a pivotal development reshaping the political landscape of Himachal Pradesh, the state Congress president and incumbent MP from Mandi Pratibha Singh on Wednesday announced her decision to opt out from contesting the Lok Sabha elections — sending shockwaves in the state party unit.
 
The decision, coming amidst mounting anticipation ahead of the polls scheduled for June 1, which will witness voting for the state’s four Lok Sabha seats — Mandi, Kangra, Hamirpur, and Shimla — alongside by-elections for six assembly seats, marks a significant pivot in the state’s electoral dynamics.
 
Pratibha conveyed her stance to the party’s high command through state in-charge Rajeev Shukla underscoring paramount importance of impending by-elections for the six vacant Vidhan Sabha seats.
 
Without mincing words, she said that she would have to give importance to the by-elections to six assembly seats to save the government. “We will work to save the government,” she said.
 
Stressing her unwavering commitment to ensure Congress’ triumph in these by-polls along with Lok Sabha, she emphasized that contesting the Lok Sabha elections would divert her attention from her responsibilities as the state party president and dilute party's focus on crucial regional contests.
 
Addressing the media in Shimla after her return from Delhi, Pratibha articulated her deep-seated concerns regarding prevailing political milieu within the party, expressing profound dismay over what she perceived as marginalization of grassroots workers. She passionately advocated for greater empowerment and inclusion of party workers in decision-making processes, emphasizing that electoral triumph cannot be achieved solely through the dispensation of Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme funds.
 
“We have a new challenge in the form of six MLAs, who have been suspended from the party. By-elections are going to be held. Elections are to be held on these six seats and we have to win all of them and it is my responsibility to win them. This is why I withdrew my candidature from Mandi. Earlier the situation was very different,” she said.
 
“For the party, I have visited Mandi many times and I am well aware of all the corners of my constituency…I have suggested the name of Kaul Singh Thakur for Mandi because he is well known in this area and has a good understanding of the ground reality,” she said. Her recommendation of Thakur, a seasoned Congress veteran with deep-rooted ties to the region, underscored the imperative of identifying candidates with strong grassroots appeal and strategic acumen to navigate the complex electoral terrain.
 
At the same time, she added, “I have extensively toured every area of the State and have found that no worker is active and it is difficult to achieve success in such a situation…I have refused to contest the elections because I am not in a position to contest it.”
 
She said: “If the party workers, who worked hard for the party’s victory in the assembly elections, are given responsibilities and importance, they would have been active at the grassroots level.”
 
Against the backdrop of Pratibha’s withdrawal from the electoral fray, the Congress faces a formidable task of rallying its cadres, energizing grassroots workers, and forging strategic alliances to navigate complex electoral landscape and emerge as a formidable contender in the upcoming polls.
 
The by-elections for six Assembly seats, stemming from disqualification of rebel Congress MLAs, present a crucial test for the state Congress leadership and its ability. Congress suffered a twin setback during the Rajya Sabha elections in the state — one is the victory of BJP candidate and rebellion of six Congress MLAs — causing huge losses to the Congress.
 
Regarding Delhi tour, Congress state president Pratibha Singh said that Central Election Committee meeting was held in Delhi wherein the names of the candidates were discussed. “After the state leadership shortlisted the possible candidates, it has been given to the party high command which will decide the final names,” she added.
 
Pratibha Singh, wife of six-time chief minister late Virbhadra Singh and mother of state Cabinet minister Vikramaditya Singh, reached Shimla from Delhi after attending the screening committee meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. Having lost Mandi seat in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, she defeated BJP’s Brigadier Khushal Thakur (retired), a decorated officer who played a crucial role in the 1999 Kargil war, in bypoll in 2021 by a slender margin of 8,766 votes. The seat fell vacant with the death of two-time BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma.