CM Sukhu mourns Yuva Congress VP Chandramani Kulethi's death
Synopsis
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu expressed deep personal grief over the death of Yuva Congress provincial vice-president Chandramani Kulethi, revealing that a helicopter malfunction and strong winds at Nahan prevented him from attending the funeral.
Key Takeaways
Chandramani Kulethi , Yuva Congress provincial vice-president in Himachal Pradesh, passed away, prompting a personal condolence from CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu .
Sukhu described a long personal association with Kulethi and said they had met in Delhi just days before his death.
Kulethi was actively involved in organising the Chief Minister's upcoming programme in the Holi Valley at the time of his passing.
CM Sukhu's own helicopter malfunctioned; a helicopter arranged through the Uttarakhand Chief Minister reached Nahan but was forced back by strong winds.
Sukhu publicly pledged to personally assist Kulethi's wife and family in every way possible.
A helicopter malfunction and fierce Himalayan winds kept Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu from his last farewell to Chandramani Kulethi, the Yuva Congress provincial vice-president who passed away — and the grief in Sukhu's words on Saturday, 24 October 2026, is unmistakably personal.
In a post on X, CM Sukhu wrote: 'युवा कांग्रेस के प्रदेश उपाध्यक्ष चंद्रमणि कुलेठी जी के निधन से मुझे गहरा दुख हुआ है' — 'The passing of Yuva Congress provincial vice-president Chandramani Kulethi ji has caused me deep sorrow.' The Chief Minister recalled that Kulethi had been associated with him for a long time, that he had met him personally just days earlier in Delhi, and that Kulethi was actively preparing for Sukhu's upcoming programme in the Holi Valley.
A helicopter grounded, a farewell missed
Sukhu described a sequence of setbacks that prevented him from attending Kulethi's final journey. His own helicopter developed a fault, after which he immediately contacted Uttarakhand Chief Minister for assistance. A helicopter was arranged and reached Nahan, but strong winds forced it to turn back without completing the journey.
'The sorrow of not being able to give Chandramani ji his final farewell weighs on me deeply,' Sukhu wrote. In mountainous terrain shared by Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, weather-dependent helicopter travel is a known constraint — but the compounding of a technical failure with adverse wind conditions made an already difficult situation impossible.
A long association, a promise to the family
Beyond the logistics, Sukhu's tribute underlines a bond that went beyond party hierarchy. He described loving Kulethi personally and spoke of him as a worker who threw himself into organisational preparations with full dedication. The Chief Minister concluded with a direct pledge: he would make every possible effort to personally help Kulethi's wife and family through this time of loss.
Kulethi served as a key figure in the Yuva Congress — the youth wing of the Indian National Congress — and his work in the run-up to local party events reflected the ground-level organisational fabric that sustains regional Congress units. His death leaves a visible gap in that network, and the Chief Minister's public commitment to the family signals that the support will extend beyond condolence.
Grief, duty, and the unforgiving geography of the Himalayas converged on one afternoon — and a farewell that could not happen will not be easily forgotten.
Point of View
Going well beyond the formulaic condolence statements that senior political figures typically issue for party functionaries. The detailed account of failed attempts to reach the funeral — a malfunctioning helicopter, a cross-state call to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, winds forcing a turnaround at Nahan — reads less as political optics and more as a record of genuine effort, consistent with Sukhu's known practice of maintaining close ties with ground-level Congress workers in Himachal Pradesh. The public pledge of direct family assistance adds a layer of accountability that distinguishes this from routine mourning posts. Kulethi's role in Holi Valley event preparation also quietly underscores how much the Congress machinery in HP relies on mid-tier organisers, whose loss can disrupt local electoral and outreach cycles in ways that rarely make headlines.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Chandramani Kulethi?
Chandramani Kulethi was the provincial vice-president of Yuva Congress in Himachal Pradesh, closely associated with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and involved in party organisational work including preparations for events in the Holi Valley.
Why could CM Sukhu not attend Chandramani Kulethi's funeral?
CM Sukhu's own helicopter developed a technical fault. A helicopter arranged through the Uttarakhand Chief Minister reached Nahan but had to turn back due to strong winds, making attendance impossible.
What did CM Sukhu promise Chandramani Kulethi's family?
CM Sukhu pledged to make every possible personal effort to help Kulethi's wife and the entire family, extending support beyond a formal condolence.
What is Yuva Congress?
Yuva Congress is the youth wing of the Indian National Congress, focused on engaging younger party workers and building organisational capacity at the state and district level.
What is the Holi Valley programme CM Sukhu mentioned?
CM Sukhu referred to an upcoming official programme he was scheduled to hold in the Holi Valley region of Himachal Pradesh, for which Chandramani Kulethi had been actively making preparations at the time of his death.
