Shimla, Dec 9: A meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs to discuss the appointment of the next Himachal Pradesh chief minister began here on Friday evening amid a show of strength by aspirants to the post, a day after the party wrested power from the BJP.
Chief Minister hopefuls Pratibha Singh, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu reached the party office for the Congress Legislature Party meeting along with their supporters, who raised slogans in their favour.
As the party’s central observers — Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda — worked to find a consensus candidate, a group of supporters of Pratibha Singh, the state party chief and the wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh, blocked their vehicle and raised slogans in her support.
The supporters raised slogans saying that the chief minister should be from the family of Virbhadra Singh.
It happened as the central observers, along with AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla, were going to meet Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
The central leaders submitted a list of the party’s winning MLAs to the governor and “sought time” to formally stake claim to form the government.
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. Speaking to mediapersons ahead of the CLP meeting, 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.” 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 Thursday. (PTI)
