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Factionalism within the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) spilled into the open on Friday as the party's 'vote chor, kursi chhor' campaign launch in Shimla turned into a noisy show of strength between supporters of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh.
The meeting, held at the Rajiv Bhawan party headquarters to galvanise support for the nationwide Congress campaign, was attended by AICC in-charge Rajni Patil, HPCC chief Pratibha Singh, Chief Minister Sukhu, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, ministers, MLAs, municipal board chairpersons, vice-chairpersons, senior leaders, and former ministers. What was intended to be a display of party unity quickly descended into chaos as rival groups of workers raised slogans in support of their respective leaders for nearly 10 minutes, despite repeated appeals for calm by senior leaders. AICC co-incharge Chetan Chauhan attempted to lead chants of "Sonia Gandhi-Rahul Gandhi Zindabad", but the sloganeering continued with both camps asserting their presence. The high-voltage drama forced HPCC president Pratibha Singh to halt her speech briefly. She later told party workers, "This kind of enthusiasm should be visible in the future as well. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has exposed the vote theft. The BJP indulged in electoral malpractices during the Lok Sabha elections, and the Congress will take this issue to every village," she said. Singh also acknowledged that the slogan-shouting was a "show of strength" from both the Chief Minister's and the PWD Minister's supporters. Earlier in the day, Rajni Patil chaired a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party to strategise for the campaign, which will include a signature drive down to the block level. However, the meeting was dominated by demands for organisational reconstitution. Several MLAs raised concerns over the delay in reorganising the state unit, which has remained defunct since November 6, 2024, when party president Mallikarjun Kharge dissolved the HPCC along with district and block units. Pratibha Singh, whose term ended in April this year but who continues as state president, has urged the high command not to ignore the legacy of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh. Some leaders have pushed for an "experienced and senior leader" as HPCC chief, while CM Sukhu is reportedly in favour of either a Scheduled Caste leader or a sitting cabinet minister. The rally also saw signs of poor coordination, with journalists walking out after Gagret MLA Rakesh Kalia told them, "This is a Congress programme, not a programme for the media." Traffic congestion was reported on Cart Road and Combermere Bridge, where VVIP and police vehicles were parked in no-parking zones. The 'Vote Chor, Kursi Chhor' campaign is part of the AICC's nationwide protest against alleged electoral malpractices by the BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)
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