Anand Sharma's resignation puts Congress in a precarious position in Himachal ahead of polls
The resignation of veteran congressman Anand Sharma from the Congress steering committee of Himachal Pradesh is a big blow to the congress in the state which is to go to the polls shortly. The resignation also gives credence to the theory that there is indeed a G-23, a group of disgruntled congressmen who are unhappy with the way the party is being run by the Gandhis. Sharma's resignation comes days after GhulamNabi Azad resigned from the campaign committee in Jammu and Kashmir. Though it could well be a coincident and not a case of solidarity for a like-minded colleague, it calls for party bosses to set their house in order if the grand old party is to perform at the hustings in the states ahead of 2024. These elections are crucial as they will be indicators and also rejuvenate the party workers at the ground level. Sharma was appointed the chairman of the steering committee to steer the party through the elections. Congress sees it as a big opportunity to make a comeback as the BJP's government in the state faces anti-incumbency and also displeasure from various sections of voters which the congress could capitalize on. But Sharma was left out if not insulted by the party's high command after this. He hasn't been invited to the 20-odd meeting held since he became chairman. He wasn't part of the consultations held by central party observer BhupeshBaghel on August 7 in New Delhi and which might have been the reason for his resignation. Though Sharma may be still very much a congressman, it signals a divided house in Himachal Pradesh where Sharma has his ancestral house and clout. Congress party had won Assembly and Parliamentary by-elections held in October 2021 under the then-party president Kuldeep Singh Rathore. But after that party started wilting. Kajal and Lakhwinder Rana, two of its MLAs joined the BJP. Moreover, the growth of AAP in HP is adding to its woes.
The Congress party high command should indeed be more careful about how it treats its senior leaders, especially when it is facing an existential crisis of sorts and many people who swore by the party are leaving it. The congress leaders, the senior ones at least should not wash their dirty linen in public, they could bring up these issues in the congress working committee before going public or taking extreme steps which further weakens the party they say they have allegiance to.