Behind Congress's Himachal crisis, political feud between CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu & the late Virbhadra Singh

In 2022, Congress secured victory in Himachal Pradesh, winning 40 out of 68 seats, marking a significant turnaround after facing consecutive defeats against the BJP and regional parties in state elections.

Although not a major state, the victory boosted the morale of the grand old party, which had seen its numbers dwindle after two successive national elections.

However, fourteen months later, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh is facing instability after six of its MLAs cross-voted in favour of a BJP candidate during the Rajya Sabha elections. While the crisis has subsided, the state unit remains in disarray.

The root cause of this embarrassing loss and rebellion traces back to the simmering conflict between Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the family of the late Virbhadra Singh, a six-time chief minister of the state.

Let's take a look at their political feud over the years. But first, a look at Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s political rise.

Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, born in 1964 in a modest family, rose through political ranks, eventually becoming Chief Minister. Sukhu’s father was a driver with the state roadways. 

Prior to becoming the chief minister, Sukhu was chief of the state unit of the National Students Union of India in 1989, and later went on to lead the state unit of the Youth Congress in 1998 till 2008. He was elected to the Vidhan Sabha as an MLA in 2003 and also headed the state Congress committee from 2013 and this is where his political rivalry with Virbhadra Singh took off. 

Political feud

His rivalry with Virbhadra Singh, the royal veteran, became evident during Sukhu's tenure as the Pradesh Congress Committee President. Tensions escalated when Virbhadra Singh opposed Sukhu's appointment as the state Congress chief in 2013.

According to a report in the Indian Express, tensions between Sukhu and Virbhadra Singh had begun to arise when the latter made his disapproval of Sukhu being appointed state Congress chief in 2013. The former CM skipped many meetings called by then Congress in-charge Rajni Patil, and questioned Sukhu’s appointment even after he had lost the 2012 Assembly polls from Nadaun. Eventually, Virbhadra had his way and Sukhu was replaced by Kuldeep Singh Rathore, the report said. 

Although the Congress high command did manage a truce between them later, the acrimony remained. 

After the party's victory in 2022, factionalism emerged, with Sukhvinder Sukhu and Pratibha Singh, Virbhadra Singh's wife, leading opposing camps. Pratibha Singh openly expressed her aspiration for the chief minister's position, citing her late husband's legacy. She felt that the overwhelming electoral success of the party in Himachal Pradesh was due to the legacy of her late husband and she had more than a legitimate claim to the top post. Ultimately, Sukhu was chosen after demonstrating his political support.

Even during the Sukhu's one-year tenure, the refrain of Virbhadra Singh's family being ignored kept making headlines frequently and Virbhadra Singh's family didn't leave any opportunity to let its displeasure known publicly.

Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Virbhadra Singh, has been raising his concerns about functioning of the government, while state Congress president Pratibha Singh, his mother, had been repeatedly pressing for rewarding the dedicated leaders of the organisation, who worked hard for the victory of the party.

When rebellion hit the Congress this week, Vikramaditya announced that he is quitting from the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu cabinet.

"There was no poster or hoarding or banner which did not carry his (Virbhadra Singh) picture. There was a full-page ad with his picture in the newspapers a day before voting. But after the victory, when the matter of installing his statue arose, the government failed to decide the location. It is not a political but an emotional thing for a son," Vikramaditya Singh had said.

After the party leadership's efforts to reconcile, the crisis for the government, and especially for Sukhu, seems to be over for the time being.