Congress might fall back on Virbhadra Singh's legacy to set its house in order

The Congress in Himachal Pradesh may fall back on late chief minister Virbhadra Singh's legacy in its bid to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in the upcoming assembly elections in the hill state. The party is likely to name his wife and three-term Lok Sabha member Pratibha Singh as the Himachal Pradesh Congress chief, replacing Kuldeep Singh Rathore who is holding the post since January 2019.

This is a surprise move given that the contest for the top post was mainly between Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mukesh Agnihotri and former state unit chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.

Perhaps her victory from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in last year's by-election could have tilted the scales in her favour. 
Pratibha Singh, 65, had defeated ruling BJP's Brigadier (retd) Khushal Thakur, a Kargil war hero, in a keen contest. She had invoked her husband's legacy in the polls.

The defeat was seen as a personal setback for chief minister Jairam Thakur whose Seraj assembly seat falls in the Mandi parliamentary constituency.

Her victory along with the win in three other assembly by-polls had then given a major boost to the Congress party's prospects in the upcoming elections.

Himachal Pradesh along with Gujarat goes to the polls in November-December this year.

However, Congress appears to have lost that advantage due to intense infighting and lacklustre state leadership. The delay in naming a new president has also added to its woes.

The grand old party is hoping that the anti-incumbency factor will ensure that the hill state doesn't break its history of throwing out an incumbent government after every five years since its formation in 1971. It has happened only once when Virbhadra Singh called for snap polls in 1985, two years ahead of the schedule, following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984. Congress retained power in the 1985 elections.

But as the assembly elections approach, the BJP looks much more organised with its leaders having closed their ranks to put up a united fight in the home state of the party's national president JP Nadda.

Despite facing massive anti-incumbency as reflected in its by-poll loss last year, the BJP is pulling all stops to break the myth of Himachal Pradesh being a cyclic state.

Obviously, the ruling party is buoyed by its stunning victory in another cyclic hill state, Uttarakhand, where it retained power in the recently concluded assembly elections.

For the Congress, Pratibha Singh's appointment is expected to check the growing factionalism in the state unit given that late Virbhadra Singh was the chief minister for six terms and the tallest politician of his time.

The Congress leadership knows that the infighting could cost the grand old party dearly in Himachal Pradesh as had happened in neighbouring Punjab.

The other worrying factor for Congress is the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state's political landscape.

Arvind Kejriwal's party is hoping that its stupendous win in Punjab will have a significant impact on the Himachal Pradesh elections.

Though the AAP doesn't seem to be in a position to form the government in the upcoming polls, it could end up dividing the anti-incumbency vote and thus help the BJP retain power.