Himachal Pradesh News
Congress Announces Zila Parishad Candidates in Una, Kutlehar Amid Internal Differences
The Congress party on Wednesday officially announced the names of candidates it will support for the upcoming Zila Parishad (ZP) elections in Himachal Pradesh’s Una and Kutlehar regions. The announcement was made during a press interaction led by Una Block Congress Committee president Rajnish Kumar in the presence of Kutlehar MLA Vivek Sharma and former Una MLA Satpal Raizada.
The Congress party on Wednesday officially announced the names of candidates it will support for the upcoming Zila Parishad (ZP) elections in Himachal Pradesh’s Una and Kutlehar regions. The announcement was made during a press interaction led by Una Block Congress Committee president Rajnish Kumar in the presence of Kutlehar MLA Vivek Sharma and former Una MLA Satpal Raizada.
For the Una Assembly constituency, the party extended support to Diksha Saini from Chattara, Sonia Rana from Dehlan, and Priyanka Sharma from Raipur. The announcement is being seen as an important step in strengthening the Congress presence ahead of the local body elections in the district.
Meanwhile, Kutlehar Block Congress president Vivek Minka also declared additional party-backed candidates for other Zila Parishad seats. Reena Devi has been supported for the Dhanet seat, Sumit Sharma for Takka, and Satya Devi for Lathiani.
Speaking to the media, MLA Vivek Sharma and senior Congress leader Satpal Raizada urged party workers and supporters to unite and work collectively to ensure the victory of all Congress-backed candidates in the elections.
Internal Rift Surfaces Within Congress Leadership
However, the candidate selection process has also brought internal disagreements within the Congress organisation into the spotlight. District Congress Committee president Des Raj Gautam had earlier raised objections over the candidature of Sumit Sharma from the Takka seat.
On Tuesday, Gautam publicly stated that Sumit Sharma was not an officially approved party candidate and claimed that the decision was taken by the block-level leadership without consulting the District Congress Committee. He further said that the matter would be escalated to the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee for discussion.
The disagreement has highlighted growing coordination issues between district and block-level Congress units in Kutlehar, even as the party prepares for a closely watched Zila Parishad election battle in Una district.
Political Significance of the Zila Parishad Elections
The upcoming Zila Parishad elections are considered politically significant for both Congress and BJP in Himachal Pradesh, especially in regions like Una and Kutlehar where local leadership influence plays a major role in shaping voter sentiment.
Political observers believe that while Congress is attempting to project unity and grassroots strength, internal disputes over ticket distribution could affect the party’s campaign momentum if not resolved quickly.
With election campaigning expected to intensify in the coming days, all eyes will now remain on how the Congress leadership manages internal differences while mobilising support for its officially backed candidates.
