Senior Congress leader and former Himachal Pradesh minister Kaul Singh Thakur has reversed his decision to retire from active politics within 24 hours of announcing it.
Recently during a visit to an ashram of Sant Rampal in Rohtak, Haryana, the veteran leader had emotionally declared that he was stepping away from electoral politics after a public career spanning five decades.
However, speaking at the inauguration of the Shadhanu Fair in Kataula of the Drang constituency in Mandi district yesterday, he clarified that he would not refuse if the Congress high command asked him to contest future elections.
Kaul Singh said he would convene a conference of party workers and supporters in November to seek their opinion before deciding his political course. He asserted that nearly 36,000 voters in the Drang constituency continue to support him and expressed confidence that his political base remains strong.
Reflecting on the 2022 Assembly elections in which he was defeated, the veteran leader described the result as unfortunate for the people of the constituency. He claimed that had he been elected, the development landscape of Drang would have been transformed significantly.
Kaul Singh has enjoyed an illustrious political career, serving eight terms as an MLA, four terms as a Cabinet minister, besides holding the posts of Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly and president of the Pradesh Congress Committee.
His sudden change in stance has sparked fresh political discussions across the state. Opposition leaders have criticised the reversal, describing it as another instance of his tendency to retract public statements. Similar remarks about distancing himself from active politics had also surfaced from him on earlier occasions.
