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MLA Sunder Singh Thakur has expressed discontent over the prolonged uncertainty but has dismissed speculation about quitting the party.
New Delhi
Discontent is brewing among Congress workers in Kullu over the continued delay in the induction of local MLA Sunder Singh Thakur into the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, with growing resentment within the district unit threatening to become a political headache for the ruling party.
The issue has gained traction following a meeting of Congress workers in Kullu, where party functionaries reportedly expressed disappointment over the failure of the state leadership to secure Cabinet representation for the district. Some workers are understood to have suggested that Thakur should reconsider his political position if the party continues to overlook Kullu’s claim to a ministerial berth.
Thakur, however, has dismissed speculation about quitting the Congress, while expressing displeasure over the prolonged uncertainty. In a Facebook post, he indicated that he would decide his future course of action after December 11 in consultation with party workers.
“I would abide by whatever decision the party workers take on the issue,” he said, suggesting that the matter had gone beyond his personal aspirations and had become an issue of regional representation.
The MLA has maintained that Kullu deserves a place in the Cabinet, pointing out that the district has traditionally enjoyed ministerial representation. He has argued that denying the district a berth amounts to overlooking its political importance and contribution to the Congress.
“Kullu is the identity of Himachal, and it should have been given representation in the government,” Thakur said, recalling that the district had remained represented in the Cabinet since the tenure of the state’s first Chief Minister, Yashwant Singh Parmar.
The demand for Thakur’s induction dates back to the formation of the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government in December 2022. After the Congress secured 40 of the 68 Assembly seats, the allocation of ministerial positions became a major exercise in balancing regional and political aspirations.
On January 8, 2023, ahead of the Cabinet expansion, Thakur was among six MLAs appointed Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPS). The other five were Mohan Lal Brakta, Ram Kumar Chaudhary, Ashish Butail, Kishori Lal and Sanjay Awasthi. The appointments were seen as an attempt to accommodate legislators who could not be inducted into the Cabinet.
However, the CPS appointment has failed to satisfy the aspirations of Thakur’s supporters, who continue to expect a full-fledged ministerial position for their representative. With more than three years having passed, the absence of a clear decision has increasingly become a source of frustration among the party cadre.
“Workers have been campaigning for the Congress and standing firmly behind the government, but the continued delay in giving Kullu representation in the Cabinet has left many disappointed. It is not just about Sunder Singh Thakur getting a ministerial position; it is about recognising the contribution and political importance of the entire district,” said a senior Congress worker from Kullu, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another party functionary said the repeated assurances had raised expectations among Thakur’s supporters, but the lack of a concrete decision had affected their morale. “There is growing frustration among his supporters. He was appointed CPS ahead of the Cabinet expansion and was subsequently given assurances about his political future. More than three years have passed, but nothing has materialised. Workers are now asking how long he should continue waiting,” the functionary said.
The growing resentment has also brought regional representation into sharp focus. Kullu is an important district in the state’s political and economic landscape, and Congress workers fear that continued exclusion from the Cabinet could weaken the party’s grassroots organisation.
With the next Assembly elections scheduled for 2027, the issue assumes added significance for the ruling party. The Congress leadership will have to manage competing claims from different regions and senior legislators while ensuring that dissatisfaction does not translate into organisational damage.
A Congress leader from another district said the leadership should take the issue seriously rather than allow it to linger. “The party leadership should not underestimate the resentment building up at the grassroots. Kullu is politically important, and ignoring the aspirations of its workers could prove costly in the next Assembly elections. The high command needs to take a decision before the dissatisfaction spreads further,” the leader said.
Thakur is considered among the contenders for the vacant Cabinet berth, along with Ashish Butail, MLA from Palampur, and Sanjay Rattan, MLA from Jwalamukhi. However, the leadership has yet to announce any decision. Regional balance, seniority and political considerations are likely to influence the eventual choice.
The Congress has already experienced internal turbulence, particularly during the February 2024 Rajya Sabha election crisis, when six party legislators cross-voted, exposing differences within its ranks. Against this backdrop, the growing discontent in Kullu presents another challenge for the state leadership.
For now, Thakur has left the matter to the party workers, while the district unit awaits a response from the leadership. Whether the Congress high command addresses the demand before December 11 or allows the uncertainty to continue could have implications for the party’s political standing in Kullu ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.