‘Congress won this election in former CM Virbhadra Singh's name’: Pratibha Singh on Himachal’s CM choice

Congress has returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years in the results that was released on December 8, 2022

Image Credit: ANI; Representational Image

Shimla: Congress State President Pratibha Virbhadra Singh on Friday said that the party cannot neglect the family of Virbhadra Singh as the party has won the election in his name, face and work many times. Speaking to ANI, Pratibha Singh said, "After all the big responsibilities were given to me by Sonia Gandhi Ji, she told me that she has elected me as the party`s state president where I would have to visit in all 68 constituencies and also to make sure that the party wins in the state. I did that work with utmost sincerity and the result is in before all of us today."She further said that the name of the Chief Minister will be announced by the party by today or tomorrow (December 10).

On being asked for pitching the name of the CM candidate as she belongs to the family of former CM Virbhadra Singh, she said, "I will definitely pitch a name. The party cannot neglect the family because we have won this election in his name, face, and because of his works. You cannot use his name, face, and family and then give all the credit to someone else. Even the high command would not do that."After registering the victory in recently held Assembly Elections in Himachal Pradesh, Congress MLAs are scheduled to meet in Shimla today to decide the Chief Minister at the State Congress Headquarters. The decision on the name of the CM will be taken in the Rajiv Bhavan in the presence of In-charge Rajeev Shukla and supervisors Bhupesh Baghel and Bhupendra Hooda. The MLAs, here, are likely to pass a resolution and authorise the party`s high command to take the final call. 

Congress returned to power in Himachal Pradesh after five years in the results announced on Thursday. The Congress won 40 seats in the 68-member assembly riding on anti-incumbency. While Congress won 40 seats in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP won 25 seats. Independents won three seats and AAP failed to open its account in the state. In terms of vote share in Himachal, Congress is only marginally ahead of the BJP has got 43.88 per cent of votes compared to 42.99 per cent of its rival. Others garnered a 10.4 per cent vote share in the hill state. Himachal Pradesh has a long tradition of alternating governments and Congress was on the right side of anti-incumbency. 

The Congress, which had not projected a Chief Ministerial candidate in the hill state, was earlier planning a meeting of its MLAs in Chandigarh but changed its plans later after it got a clear majority. It is a big task for Congress to choose its chief ministerial candidate among various aspirants including Pratibha Singh. Former state Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri are seen as the other contenders for the post. Earlier on Thursday, Shukla had said that the party chief will decide who will be the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.