One post, many contenders: Congress in a fix over new Himachal CM, frontrunners flex muscles; high command to decide

Having wrested power in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress is now dealing with the challenge of picking up the chief minister for the hill state from the many contenders. A meeting of newly elected Congress MLAs was held in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla Friday evening in which they passed a resolution authorising the party high command to take a decision.  

This means that along with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, besides Priyanka Gandhi who campaigned aggressively in Himachal, will be taking the final call on the new CM.

Two Congress observers - Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda -- and AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla attended the meeting. The observers shared with the Governor a list of the party’s winning MLAs and “sought time” to formally stake claim to form the government. 

State party chief Pratibha Singh, leader of the opposition Mukesh Agnihotri and head of the election campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu -- seen as the three frontrunners for the CM post -- reached the party office along with their supporters, who raised slogans in their favour.

Pratibha Singh's supporters gathered outside the meeting venue, the Oberoi Cecil in Shimla, and stopped the convoy of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. In a video, Congress workers were seen surrounding Baghel's car and raising slogans in favour of Pratibha Singh, the wife of former CM Virbhardra Singh, who died last year. 

Though Pratibha Singh did not contest the assembly election and is not an MLA, she had campaigned extensively across the state. Singh is presently the Mandi MP after she won in the bye-election from outgoing chief minister Jairam Thakur's home district.

She also carries the legacy of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who steered the Congress in the state for over four decades.

Singh, party sources claimed, has the support of a majority of MLAs who have owed their allegiance to Virbhadra Singh who remained the Congress' undisputed leader in the hill state for long.

Supporters of Sukhvinder Sukhu also gathered outside the hotel to push for their leader. Sukhu is a five-time MLA who has often angled for the post of Chief Minister in the past.

Pratibha Singh's son Vikramaditya has been elected as an MLA from Shimla rural and is also among the hopefuls, even though many consider him too young for the top post.

Outgoing CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri is another CM contender and is hopeful that the party high command would recognise his work.

Agnihotri claims that he put forth the party's position strongly in the state assembly as CLP leader and highlighted BJP's "misgovernance" during the last five years. Agnihotri is a Brahmin leader, while Sukhu hails from the dominant Thakur community in the state.

Former PCC chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore, who won from Theog in a multi-cornered contest, is also a CM hopeful and is claiming that he brought the faction-ridden party together in the last few years. Rathore was replaced a few months ago with Pratibha Singh as the head of the Himachal unit.

Some other hopefuls like six-time MLA Asha Kumari and former PCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur lost the election this time.

Interestingly, several Congress leaders had contested the elections in the hope that they would be the party's chief ministerial face. This even helped them garner enough support in their respective constituencies.

During the election campaign, Home Minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders had taken a swipe at the Congress over its chief minister-hopefuls.