The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Pratibha Singh, who is a sitting MP from Mandi, conveys to the party's high command that she is not in a position to contest this time as if she limits herself to the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, she won’t be able to work for the party in other areas in elections
In a major political development, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) Chief and sitting MP from Mandi, Pratibha Singh said she will not contest the Lok Sabha election this time.
Pratibha Singh told media persons here that she had conveyed to the party high command that she was not in a situation to contest the Lok Sabha election.
“Our party workers are annoyed. One cannot win the election by just distributing MP funds. I have told the party high-ups that I withdraw my candidature and they should give the ticket to any other suitable candidate from Mandi,” Singh said.
Singh, who attended a party meeting in Delhi earlier this week to discuss the candidates for ensuing Lok Sabha polls with the party in charge, the Chief Minister, and Deputy Chief Minister, said, “I have been moving in the field myself and I do not find the workers active. So I have decided not to throw my hat in the ring. I had brought it to the government’s notice earlier also that the party workers are disappointed. Timely intervention would have helped,” she said.
She talked about the possibility of a by-poll in six Assembly constituencies and said she would work in the field as party chief to ensure victory in these constituencies, which was very important to save the Congress government in HP. “If I limit myself to the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, I won’t be able to work in other areas as HPCC chief,” she said.
Singh, however, mentioned that urgent steps were needed to fill the enthusiasm back into the party workers so that they work in the field actively in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls as well as the by-polls to Assembly constituencies.
She said there have been discussions about the probable candidates in the Lok Sabha polls with the party's high command. “But we have time in Himachal Pradesh as the elections here are in the last phase on June 1, 2024. So it was decided to consider the situation in the field and then finalise the names based on a survey,” she said.
The HPCC Chief defended the Sukhu government in its endeavour to start the scheme of paying Rs 1500 per month to the women in Himachal Pradesh when asked that the BJP had filed a complaint with the Election Commission that the government was violating the model code of conduct by getting the forms filled up for the benefit. “The Chief Minister had started this scheme from Lahaul Spiti last month, not after elections,” she said.
It is pertinent to mention that amid reports that the Congress high command may replace her as HPCC chief because of her candidature from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat that she had won in the by-poll in 2021, Singh chose to stay back as PCC chief.
“More so, this time, the Lok Sabha polls don’t seem to be an easy battle for the Congress party in the state, particularly keeping with the recent rebellious outburst in Congress party and the overall scenario in the entire country,” said Congress sources.
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