As the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh approaches its third year in office this December, it finds itself navigating turbulent waters marked by natural disasters, fragile fiscal position, and intensifying political scrutiny. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been asserting that they have not come for enjoying power but to serve the people of the State with a motto of ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ (transforming the system), yet the principal Opposition – Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has been cornering the ruling government, accusing it of failing to perform on all fronts.
As the Congress claims to have fulfilled majority of its ten guarantees made during the 2022 assembly elections, including – reinstating of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for state employees, securing a monthly allowance of Rs. 1500 for eligible women, launching a startup fund of Rs. 680 crore to drive entrepreneurship, the BJP has described it as eyewash, attacking the Congress over its unfulfilled promises. BJP leader Jairam Thakur has been questioning delays in delivering 1 lakh government jobs, the Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for all the women, among other pre-poll promises.
The Congress government’s recent decision to postpone elections for the Panchayati Raj Institution has emerged as the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP. Originally scheduled between December 2025 and January 2026, the elections have been deferred, citing devastating monsoon impacts that have crippled road connectivity across the State. While the government has defended the move as purely administrative, emphasising that elections will proceed once normalcy returns, the BJP has dismissed it as political maneuvering.
After the leader of the Opposition, Jairam Thakur, who previously served as Chief Minister, accused the Congress government of avoiding public accountability due to what he called “poor governance and unfulfilled electoral promises”, CM Sukhu made it clear there was no attempt to postpone elections, but providing relief to those affected by disaster remained the government’s top priority. The State’s monsoon season has indeed been catastrophic this year with total damages estimated over Rs 5,000 crore.
The Chief Minister has set ambitious targets – making Himachal self-reliant by 2027 and the country’s most prosperous state by the year 2032. The Sukhu government inherited a daunting financial legacy – Rs 75,000 crore in debt and Rs 10,000 crore in liabilities from the previous BJP regime. In response, the government has pursued aggressive revenue mobilisation, generating additional revenue of around Rs. 3,000 crore in just one year (2023-24) through strategic economic reforms and bold policy decisions, including changes in tourism, power, mining sectors, besides excise policy and liquor contract auctions.
However, these efforts have drawn sharp criticism. BJP state president Rajiv Bindal accused the Congress of imposing ten different types of cess on citizens, including a Rs 7.50 VAT hike on diesel, which he claims adds a Rs 10,000 crore burden on the people.
In education, Himachal has achieved full literacy status five years ahead of India’s 2030 target, becoming the fifth state after Ladakh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Goa to reach this milestone. The hill state also leaped from 21st to fifth position in the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2024. Chief Minister Sukhu attributes these gains to “Vyavastha Parivartan”, driven by identification drives involving teachers, government departments, and community mobilisation.
As the Congress government in the State has crossed the halfway mark, it faces mounting pressure to deliver on remaining electoral commitments while managing severe fiscal constraints and disaster recovery.
The next two years will determine whether Chief Minister Sukhu’s ambitious vision for Himachal Pradesh translates into tangible outcomes or becomes another casualty of the state’s challenging geography and limited resources.
