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Shimla, July 4
The Congress party leaders on Saturday said that a reshuffle and expansion of the Himachal Pradesh cabinet could take place soon, with senior party leader K C Venugopal expected to hold key meetings with state leaders later this month. Speaking to reporters in Shimla on Saturday, Himachal Congress in-charge Rajni Patil said the party’s National General Secretary (Organisation), K C Venugopal, would meet state leaders in Dharamshala on 16 and 17 July to discuss the proposed cabinet reshuffle and expansion. She said a final decision was expected soon after those discussions.
Patil was in Shimla to attend a general meeting of the newly constituted Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, where party leaders reviewed plans to strengthen the organisation ahead of future political challenges.
She said the Congress would focus on building its organisational structure down to the booth level while preparing its strategy for upcoming political programmes, including the 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.
The meeting also discussed national issues, including the alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and allegations relating to funds collected for the Ram Temple.
Repeating the Congress party’s position on the Ram Temple donation controversy, Patil said the allegations should be investigated through an impartial inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.
She also addressed an internal party dispute involving the Kinnaur district Congress unit, saying misunderstandings would be resolved through dialogue. She said Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi and district leader Nigam Bhandari would be brought together to settle their differences and continue working for the party.
Himachal Pradesh Congress president Vinay Kumar said the organisational meeting brought together leaders from block-level units to the chief minister, with a focus on strengthening the party across the state.
He said responsibilities for expanding the organisation at the grassroots level would be assigned during the meeting, marking the beginning of preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.
He also said discussions had taken place with Jagat Singh Negi regarding the Kinnaur leadership dispute and reiterated that the Congress high command’s decision on the party’s organisational structure remained final.
