Poliitcal Parties in Himachal Pradesh

The key political players in Himachal state are the ruiling BJP ( Bhartiya Janta party ) and the Indian National congress, Communist Party of India Marxist ( CPI) ( M ). There are only 4 lok sabha constituencies in Himachal. The Himachal Pradesh Legislative assembly has 68 seats who are directly elected from single seat constituencies. In order to understand the political party system in Himachal Pradesh, we shall have to adopt a national persspective since political parties in the state are closely linked with overall political climate of the nation . Political parties everywhere are by products of socio economics and historical heterogeneties. In the 1999 Parliamentary election, there have been 7 National and 47 state parties which are recognised by the election commission of India. In Himachal Pradesh,however electoral politics has been nominated by the congress and the BJD/ BJP.

Congress party :

The Indian National Congress is a major political party of India, which had been organised on 28 December, 1885 at Bombay by an English citizen, namely Sir A.O.Hume. This party has performed a major role for abolishing alien autocratic, undemocratic and typical bureaucratic administration of Britishers from India.

The Role of Congress Party in Administrative Development of Himachal Pradesh : 

The seeds of democratic administration in Himachal were sown by the Indian National Congress. In 1952 the Chief Minister Dr. Y.S. Parmar prepared a field of development administration in state, when a limited type of responsbile govt, established in Himachal. It is true that the administration in Himachal was a child of Congress Party which has been developed to make it an adult in 1971. Since 1952 and afterwards when responsible governments were established under the control of Dr. Y.S. Parmar, Ram Lai Thakur and Sh. Virbhadra Singh. It has been found that both Dr. Y.S. Parmar and Virbhadra Singh developed the administration of state. But the period of Thakur Ram Lai was not so helpful for development of administration. Because during his Chief Ministership Congress party get a big set back because of illegal forest felling, which allegedly said to have involved some close relatives of the Chief Minister, Consequently that episode made him to step down from power.
The Congress Party leadership also give up the office of Chief Minister to keep the state as a separate entity after the recommendation of state reorganisation commission in 1956. When Territorial Council was changed to state legislative Assembly in 1963, Dr. Parmar again appointed as Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh after a gap of six years. However, this party's role in Territorial Council was also satisfactory to a larger extent. For the merger of Punjb hill areas with Himachal and to create Himachal as a larger state. The State Congress Committee and District Congress Committee of Kangra also performed an important role during 1965-66. The government of this party instate also get good sucess in handling the service problems of the employees which had been cropped up with merger of Punjab hill areas with Himachal on 1 st November 1966.
In 1971, Himachal Pradesh attained the status of a full-fledged state of Indian Union. It was all due to the role played by Congress Party and Congress leadership of then Central Government and Himachal Pradesh. Because in Central and in Himachal, there were sufficient majority of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha and
H.P, State Legislative Assembly. So such development occurred in Himachal Pradesh, becuase state remained under the leadership of Dr. Y.S. Parmar till 1977, and majority of the democratic Institutions created in the state which were needed and were mentioned in the State list of Indian Constitution. Institutions like office of the Governor, office of the Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, State Secretariat, State Public Service Commission, High Court etc. were created when Congress Party was in power in Himachal Pradesh. However, the Congress Party under the second Chief Minister, Thakur Ram Lai was not so effective for administrative development. During his tenure the Congress government was only able to carry on the administrative system established under the chief ministership of Dr. Parmar.

Thus, the role of Congress Party in development of administration was impressive in Himachal because effective administrative set up was created under the power and influence of Congress Party at state district and local level.

Bhartiya Janata Party : 

A conference of some Hindu leaders held on 21st October 1951 at New Delhi. It was decided in this conference that a political organisation known as Bhartiya Jan Sangh will be created . Before 1977, there was Bhartiya Jan Sangh a main Political Party after Indian National Congress. Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was the leader of the Hindu Sabha, who is considered as^originator of this political party. Because the main leaders in this organisation were the members of Rashtriya Swaim Sewak Sangh. So some scholars believe that its creation has been effected right from the beginning of Rashtriya Swaim Sewak Sangh in 1924-25. With the amalgamating of this political organisation with other small political parties and with those who had left the Indian National Congress, it emerged as a big political party in India before the elections of 1977. Thus, it defeated, Indian National Congress in 1977 in the elections which were held after the National Emergency.

Position of Bhartiya Janata Party in Himachal Pradesh :

In 1952, the H.P. State legislative Assembly had 12 members except  24 members of Indian Nation Congress and some of them were linked with Bhartiya Jan Sangh. But in 1967, there were seven candidates of Janata Party which reduced to 5 in 1972. However, it was first time in 1977 that Janata Party get full majority in
H.P. state legislative Assembly. So, Sh. Shanta Kumar became Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and replaced the powers and authority of Indian National Congress from Himachal Pradesh. However, his government could not complete its full tenure during that time. In 1982 the strength of Bhartiya Janata Party candidates reduced to 29 from 53 in 1977 So, this trend further increased in 1985 when the candidates of this party could win only 7 seats. But in the year of 1990 it improved its condition, when it won 58 seats and Shanta Kumar once again became the Chief Minister of Himachal in second time after 1977. But his government could not last for long and Central Government used the provision of Article 356 of Indian Constitution and dissolved the State Government on Ayodhya issue and state put under President Law. After a few months, elections were held to H.P. State Legislative Assembly in which its candidates could win only 8 seats in 1993. But in the General elections of 1998 it won 32 seats and with the help of Himachal Vikas Congress, this party formed its government under the leadership of Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal.
In 193l-32 under the leadership of Sh. Shanta Kumar this party had implemented the policy of No work, No pay'. This policy gave a serious blow to the strikers in Himachal Pradesh. It was infact a great step to bring efficiency and economy in administration. However, this party's Government also streamlined the administration of the government. Better development had been registered in Agriculture, horticulture, health, public works departments, education, rural and urban administration. In 1998 Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal appointed as the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh with the support of Himachal Vikas Congress. But
due to the poor majority in the house of this party in the State Legislature, its government is not so effective to use its full potential for administrative improvements.

Himachal Vikas Congress :

This party has been floated by Pt.Sukh Ram who was staunch supporter of Congress(I) before 1996-97. During 1997-98, this party won five seats but it surrendered its two MLAs to Bhartiya Janata Party. This step was taken to establish the government of Bhartiya Janata Party and second was to give a stable Government to the state. Thus Pt. Sukh Ram joined with this Party's government as a good partner. The basic features of the agenda of this political party in 1998 were balanced and equal development of state, to uproot the government of Congress Party, effective administrative development at all levels, grass root democracy and
responsible administration. The party has stressed the need of clean administration in the state on democratic principles. It also fetched some important portfolios like Public Works Department, Rural Development, Income and Excise and Taxation, Animal Husbandary etc. It also supported the Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal's Government to remove the office of Divisional Commissioner. So this party is performing a key role in the Government for infrastructural development of the state. The communication system in the state was developed under the leadership of Sh. P.V. Narasimha Rao by Pt. Sukh Ram who has floated this party. The
Communication system has facilitated the process of administration in the state. This party has also supported the stand of government for the creation of Women Welfare Commission in Himachal and Himachal Pradesh old Age Bill during 1998- 99.

The Communist Party of India (CPI, CPM) :

The Communist Party of India was organised in 1924 in a conference held in Kanpur. In 1964, it was divided into two groups. The second group recognised as Communist Party of India (M). Both these Parties are basically against imperialism and fully supported the democratic principles in administration, such as social
justice, secularism, equality, etc. It also favours the Inter-State Council and rejects the policies of capitalism. In 1998, this party published its agenda in which it promised to provide social justice, health for all, welfare of dalits and adivasis, right to work, establishment of Lokpal and Reform Commission in centre.

In Himachal Pradesh it won only two seats in 1967 (Sh. Bansi Ram and Paras Ram from Baijnath and Jaswan respectively), one candidate in 1990 and one in 1993 i.e. K.K. Kaushal and Rakesh Singha from Kotkehloor and Shimla Urban Constituency respectively

However its role for the integration of Punjab hill areas in Himachal was effective because its candidate Comerade Paras Ram was an active member of the committee constituted for the formation of a Hill State in Kangra and to submit the memorandum to higher authorities.

Thus, it is concluded that political parties have performed important role in the field of administrative development in Himachal. But it can be said that state has only two political parties which effect the development process in this regard since 1952 to 1998 to a greater extent and the third political party of the
state is also influencing the process of administration which has come up in 1997.

Therefore, in the history of about forty five year of the existence of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress Party remained in power about thirty two years. During this period it has changed the administrative scenario of the state from undemocratic to democratic and from disintegrated to integrated administrative system.
At Present  in 2017 vidhan sabha elections BJP came in majority and Jai Ram Thakur became new chief minister of state defeating Conress party. With BJP won 44 seats and Congress 21 seats and 2 Independents and 1 CPI. 

The political parties contribute a lot for the modernisation of administration by making it effective to coop up with socio-economic problems prevalent in the area of its jurisdiction. Because, the political party which get the mandate of the people frame the public policies, help the administration in their implementation with the support of effecting groups. It creates the public opinion, educates the people about Government policies and also criticises and tries to abolish those policies which pose negative effects on the administration and people.