Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Kishau Pact Gives Sukhu Political Edge Ahead of Himachal Polls
Six states agreed on how to build and pay for a large dam called the Kishau project.
The dam would produce electricity and help supply water to several states.
It will be built near the border of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says his state will not have to pay for the project.
He says this protects Himachal’s money because its land and water will be used.
The BJP disagrees and says Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah made the agreement possible.
The agreement has become important in Himachal Pradesh politics.
The Congress government is presenting it as a success before the 2027 state elections.
Six states signed a pact on September 15 for the proposed 422-MW Kishau multipurpose dam project.
The Rs 15,624-crore project will be built on the Tons river along the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border.
The Centre will fund 90% of the project, while participating states will share the remaining 10%.
Himachal Pradesh says it will bear no project cost under the new agreement, unlike an earlier proposed 50:50 arrangement with Uttarakhand.
The Congress government is promoting the pact as an achievement before Himachal Pradesh’s November 2027 Assembly elections, while the BJP credits Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
- Who
- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi signed the agreement; Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the BJP have offered competing interpretations of it.
- What
- The states agreed on financing and implementing the proposed 422-MW Kishau multipurpose dam project.
- When
- The agreement was signed on September 15; its political significance relates to Himachal Pradesh’s Assembly elections scheduled for November 2027.
- Where
- The project is proposed on the Tons river along the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border.
- Why
- The agreement ended years of disagreement over the project’s financing and implementation and changed Himachal Pradesh’s expected financial contribution.
Congress government’s position
BJP’s position
Who deserves credit?
Congress government’s position
Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says his government negotiated with the Centre and five BJP-governed states to protect Himachal Pradesh’s financial and resource interests.
BJP’s position
Jairam Thakur says the agreement reflects the leadership and efforts of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, not a Congress achievement.
Earlier financial commitment
Congress government’s position
The Congress says the previous BJP government had agreed to spend Rs 800 crore and that the current government prevented Himachal Pradesh from bearing any cost.
BJP’s position
The BJP says Sukhu is overlooking that Rajasthan and Delhi, then governed by the Congress and AAP, had declined to bear project costs.
Significance for Himachal Pradesh
Congress government’s position
The Congress argues that Himachal Pradesh should not pay because its land and water will be used and its people may be displaced; officials say the new arrangement reduces the state’s financial exposure.
BJP’s position
The BJP rejects the Congress’s claim to sole credit, arguing that the project became easier to build because of central leadership and efforts.
- Project
- 422-MW Kishau multipurpose dam
- Estimated cost
- Rs 15,624 crore
- Project location
- Tons river, along the Himachal Pradesh-Uttarakhand border
- Signatories
- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi
- Funding arrangement
- The Centre will bear 90% of the cost; participating states will share the remaining 10%.
- Himachal Pradesh’s position
- The state says it will not bear any project cost under the new agreement.
- Election relevance
- The Congress government is highlighting the pact ahead of the November 2027 Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections.