After wresting power from the BJP in Himachal Pradesh in the recently-concluded assembly election, the Congress has a new task at hand – zeroing in on a chief minister. A meeting of the newly-elected Congress MLAs to discuss the appointment of the next chief minister began in Shimla this evening amid a show of strength by the aspirants’ supporters.
State Congress in-charge Rajeev Shukla said a resolution was passed in the meeting and Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge will elect the state leader.
HERE ARE THE TOP DEVELOPMENTS:
1. Those hoping to get the top post include Pratibha Singh, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu. The three leaders reached the party office for the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting along with their supporters, who sloganeered in their favour.
2. The Congress Legislature Party meeting was scheduled to begin at 3 pm but was delayed as several MLAs could not reach Shimla from far-away places earlier. The MLAs are expected to pass a resolution authorising the Congress chief to pick the legislature party leader who will be the next chief minister.
3. The Himachal Pradesh Congress legislature party, which met this evening, decided that the next chief minister of the state will be decided by the party high command, MLA Sundar Thakur told India Today TV. According to him, a one-line resolution was passed in the legislature party meeting in Shimla that the Congress high command will decide the next chief minister.
4. The supporters of Pratibha Singh, the widow of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, blocked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s car outside a five-star hotel in Shimla, in a show of strength for Singh.
5. Bhupesh Baghel and the former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda have been appointed by the Congress as its central observers in the hill states and have been tasked with finding a consensus candidate.
6. Earlier in the day, the two central observers along with the Congress in-charge of the state, Rajeev Shukla, met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to stake claim to form the government. They submitted documents showing that the party has the numbers to form a government in the state.
7. Pratibha Singh’s son confirmed that his mother is in the running for the chief minister’s post in the state. “I am not in the race for the top post but my mother is one of the contenders for the post of chief minister,” her son and Congress MLA from Shimla Rural Vikramaditya Singh told news agency PTI, adding, “A meeting of all the newly-elected MLAs has been convened and the final decision would be taken by the high command which would be acceptable to all.”
“The collective will of MLAs will be kept in mind and then observers will convey the same to the high command”, he said. The Congress observers and Shukla met Pratibha Singh at a hotel.
8. Former state chief of the party Sukhu and outgoing legislature party leader Mukesh Agnihotri are also believed to be among the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post. Speaking to the media, Congress leader Sukhu said, “I am not a chief minister aspirant. I am just a Congress worker and whatever decision the high command would take would be accepted.”
9. The Congress is happy that it is getting an opportunity to form the government in the state, Rajiv Shukla said, adding that the party will do everything to fulfill the 10 guarantees made to the people of the state and provide better governance.
10. The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state, winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared on Thursday.
(With input from PTI)
