Shimla, Nov. 7 -- As chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the new chief of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) would be appointed within 10 days, six prominent leaders vying for the post headed to Delhi to meet the party high command. CM Sukhu on Thursday said, "The expansion of the party organisation will be completed within five to 10 days. A new state party president will be announced within 10 days." HPCC has been lying defunct since November last year after party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge dissolved the committee on November 6, 2024, along with the district and block units. However, the party high command had retained Pratibha Singh as president of the unit. Her tenure had come to an end in April this year. The six leaders who left for Delhi are expected to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday, a meeting that has been called on the direction of Rahul Gandhi. Those called for the meeting include Education Minister Rohit Thakur, Deputy Speaker Vinay Kumar, Theog MLA Kuldeep Rathore, Palampur MLA Ashish Butail, Kasauli MLA Vinod Sultanpuri, and Bhoranj MLA Suresh Kumar. After the joint interaction, Kharge is expected to hold one-on-one discussions with each leader before taking a final decision on the new president. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had conveyed to the party leadership that either a Scheduled Caste leader be considered for the post, or if a cabinet minister is to be chosen, their opinion should be sought first. Chief Minister in August had written a letter saying that anyone can be made Congress president - either someone from the Scheduled Castes or, if a cabinet minister is interested, their view should be taken. Sukhu on Friday said "No name has been proposed from my side." Even though the Congress has been batting for one man one post policy while finalising the president, the party high command has to decide whether a cabinet minister can hold the PCC chief's position while retaining their ministry. The Congress is also mulling the idea of appointing three working presidents alongside the new state president to balance regional and caste equations. Though as part of the restructuring of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, a series of meetings were held where AICC Secretary and Co-Incharge Vidit Chaudhary and Chetan Chauhan, focused on feedback from senior leaders, legislators, grassroots workers, and affiliated organizations through the year. Even Himachal incharge Rajani Patil has held meeting with state leaders as well as the meetings were held between state leaders and senior party leaders in Delhi, but the inability of the party to reach a consensus on a single name had inordinately delayed the reorganisation. This has even caused rumbling in Congress party with senior party leader Chander Kumar Chaudhary (80) who is Agriculture Minister in Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government questioning the working of the Congress high command had even gone to say, "Congress organization in the state has become paralyzed". Even the incumbent state party president Pratibha Singh on a number of occasions has said that "revival and strengthening" of the state Congress unit as the biggest challenge and "delay harming the party". While pressing for "urgent need" for appointments at the block and district level Singh had said that "as without official responsibilities, even active workers lose morale". She had also told the high command that the legacy of six time chief minister Virbhdra Singh should not be ignored while finalising the president of unit and a person "widely accepted" be appointed as president as "mere rubber stamp won't help the party , it might even cause harm." The state Congress leaders have been pushing for reorganisation as the state prepares for both the upcoming Panchayat elections and later, the 2027 Assembly elections....