Shimla: The debacle in Punjab, inability to regain power in Uttarakhand and upsurge of AAP seem to have pressed panic buttons in the Congress, which was seeing itself as a natural descendant to power in Himachal Pradesh, after the BJP.
Almost like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh also has been witnessing a power-swapping trend between the Congress and the BJP.
But, now BJP breaking the myth in Uttarakhand to continue its rule for second successive term, and AAP declaring its plans to contest all the 68 Assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress has woken up to a new challenge in the hill state, going to the polls in November-December 2022.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is in an action mode ahead of Himachal Pradesh polls. She has summoned top Congress leaders including PCC president Kuldeep Rathore, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri, senior party leaders Kaul Singh Thakur, Ram Lal Thakur, Col (rtd) Dhani Ram Shandil, Asha Kumari , ViploveThakur, Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, Sudhir Sharma, Rajesh Dharmani and newly elected Mandi MP Pratibha Singh for a meeting on Tuesday.
A sitting MLA confirmed that invites have also been sent to former party presidents, several ex-MLAs and MPs for ensuring their participation in the meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The party leaders are not sure if former union minister and current Rajya Sabha member Anand Sharma has been summoned or not.
Deaths of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, a Congress stalwart in the state and some months back G S Bali, a strong Kangra leader have caused a big blow to the Congress, which has no alternative to political figures like Virbhadra Singh to lead the poll, and have a statewide appeal.
There are rather more Chief Ministerial aspirants than those who could actually give the party an edge in the old Himachal hills or lower merged states of Kangra belt.
Thus, the party now fears that AAP making its plans clear and opening their doors to disgruntled leaders will hit the party hard, even ruining its chances of power.
Manish Thakur, a former youth Congress president on Monday joined the AAP ahead of the 'road show' of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal –who is also party's national convenor.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is also arriving at Mandi on March 26 with Kejariwal for the party's first ever show of strength in the Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur's home district.
In the 2017 poll, the BJP had won nine out of 10 assembly seats in Mandi which helped Jai Ram Thakur to rise to the Chief ministerial position.