Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said the party reorganisation and the appointment of a new Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president would take place by the last week of October. “The statue of former six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh will soon be unveiled on the Ridge in Shimla. I believe till then, the party reorganisation will not happen. Most probably, the Himachal Congress will be reorganised by the end of this month,” Sukhu told the media after returning from Delhi. Virbhadra's statue is scheduled to be unveiled on October 13. Senior Congress leaders from Delhi are expected to attend the ceremony. Asked whether Sonia Gandhi would attend the event, Sukhu said, “We cannot say anything until the state government receives the final tour programme of Sonia Gandhi ji.” During his Delhi visit, the chief minister held discussions with senior party leaders about the organisational affairs of the Himachal Congress. In November 2024, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge had dissolved the block, district, and state-level executive committees in Himachal, while allowing state Congress chief Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh and mother of incumbent PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh, to continue in her post. Condemning the hurling of a shoe at Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, the chief minister called it “unfortunate and unforgivable”. “The entire Himachal Pradesh condemns this act against the CJI. It is deplorable, and the culprit should not be spared,” he said. An advocate allegedly threw a shoe at CJI Gavai during proceedings inside the Supreme Court on Monday morning. The police let the advocate go later in the day after the CJI instructed the court's registrar general not to press charges. Welcoming tourists to Himachal Pradesh with the weather in the state changing, Sukhu said, “The monsoon season is over, and the tourism sector has reopened. Tourists from across the country and around the world are welcome to visit Himachal Pradesh.” Asked about the Rs 1,500-crore disaster relief announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sukhu said, “We have been communicating with the Centre through official correspondence about it.” Notably, senior Congress leaders have repeatedly stated that the announcement of a new state party president is imminent. Last month, Pratibha Singh had urged the party’s central leadership to expedite the HPCC reconstitution, stating: “Prolonged dissolution of the PCC executive has been adversely affecting the organisational functioning in the state.” Citing the upcoming municipal and panchayati raj elections, the state Congress chief had emphasised the urgency of appointing new office-bearers to ensure smooth coordination and effective election preparedness. “The election process has already begun, and key responsibilities must be assigned to office-bearers without further delay,” she had stated.
