Congress brass meet Himachal unit leaders, discuss Lok Sabha poll strategy

The Congress top brass yesterday, 27 December, held a meeting with Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and other leaders from the party's state unit to discuss the strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief Rahul Gandhi and other top leaders were present at the meeting.

The Congress high command has been holding deliberations with party leaders from different states as the opposition INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc focuses on finalising seat-sharing agreements months before the general elections.

"There are four (Lok Sabha) seats in Himachal Pradesh, and the Congress is strong on all four," Sukhu told reporters after the meeting.

In a post on X, Kharge mentioned the meeting with senior leaders in Himachal, and also noted the work being put in by his colleagues in the state government to help recovery from the natural disasters this year, while the Narendra Modi government has—despite repeated requests—sent no aid from the Centre.

Mentioning the heavy rain and flash floods in the state during the monsoon, Kharge wrote, 'Our Himachal government, despite the terrible natural tragedy, is working in the public interest with full dedication.'

'Despite our repeated requests to the Modi government at the Centre to declare the heavy rain and landslides in Himachal Pradesh as a national disaster and provide appropriate funds, the central government and the BJP Lok Sabha MPs showed no interest in providing compensation for Himachal Pradesh,' he added.

The Congress has mobilised all resources to help the people. The party is committed to a bright future for Himachal, Kharge further said.

The BJP holds three of the four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh, while the Congress has one, though it won the assembly election and formed the state government. However, even the BJP MPs seem to have failed to convince the Centre to send aid—or did not try to speak up for the people of the state.

With PTI inputs