'High Command to decide on Himachal chief minister': Congress MLAs after daylong drama
Shimla/IBNS: After a day of drama over who'll be the chief minister in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress MLAs of the hill state Friday evening passed the party's traditional one-line resolution stating that the party's "high command" will take a final decision on the same.
This means party senior leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, who campaigned aggressively in Himachal, along with new national president Mallikarjun Kharge will take the decision.
The MLAs' meeting was held with central overseers Rajeev Shukla, Bhupinder Hooda and Bhupesh Baghel present to coordinate.
The one-line resolution came after a show of strength by the supporters of state Congress chief Pratibha Singh ahead of the meeting in Shimla.
A horde of party workers blocked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's car and demanded that Pratibha Singh, a three-time MP and wife of the late leader Virbhadra Singh, "deserves the top post".
Besides Pratibha Singh, the other contenders in the race are Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Mukesh Agnihotri.
Singh, an MP from Mandi, campaigned hard for the Congress, which has won 40 of 68 assembly seats.
The BJP, which had aimed to change the state's tradition of electing alternate governments every five years, has won 25 seats.