Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Sunday, 11 October 2026, mounted a sharp offensive against the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh, accusing Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu of presiding over nearly four years of administrative disorder, financial mismanagement, and stalled development projects. Speaking at a convention of public representatives and party workers in Patlikuhal, Kullu district, Nadda alleged that significant funds extended by the Centre had been squandered or left unutilised under the Sukhu administration.

Key Allegations Against the Sukhu Government

Nadda alleged that several infrastructure, healthcare, and public welfare projects — many initiated during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime — had been delayed or stalled entirely. He charged that the Congress government had shut down educational and healthcare institutions, disrupting services for ordinary residents across the state.

'Whenever Chief Minister Sukhu is questioned about development, he blames Delhi. The reality is that the Central government has provided substantial financial assistance, but the Congress government has failed to utilise the resources available to it. The problem is not a shortage of funds but the state government's inability to manage development projects,' Nadda said.

He asserted that the Union government had extended significant support to Himachal Pradesh across infrastructure, railways, highways, industrial development, and public welfare, directly contradicting Sukhu's repeated claims of Central neglect.

Local Body Election Results Cited as Proof of Public Anger

Nadda drew heavily on recent local body election outcomes to bolster his political argument. He claimed that BJP-supported candidates had won 11 of the 17 wards in the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation and 12 of the 14 wards in Mandi. He further stated that BJP-backed candidates had secured 190 of the 251 Zila Parishad seats statewide, pointing to strong performances in Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, and other districts.

He specifically congratulated party workers for what he described as a clean sweep of all four seats in the Manali area, calling the results a clear signal of rising public dissatisfaction with the Congress government and growing confidence in the BJP's organisational strength.

What the Government Said

The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh had not, as of the time of reporting, issued a formal response to Nadda's allegations. Chief Minister Sukhu has previously maintained that the state faces fiscal stress partly due to what his administration describes as inadequate Central transfers, a claim Nadda directly contested on Sunday.

Eye on 2027 Assembly Elections

Nadda's address carried an unmistakable forward-looking dimension. He urged BJP workers to intensify grassroots outreach, strengthen contact with local communities, and maintain organisational discipline ahead of the 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections. He expressed confidence that the party's current momentum, as reflected in the local body results, would translate into electoral success at the state level.

This comes amid a broader BJP effort to consolidate opposition narratives against Congress-governed states ahead of a packed election calendar, with Himachal Pradesh increasingly seen as a priority recapture target for the party.