Shimla | After winning the elections in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress will hold a meeting on Friday to elect its party’s legislature party leader. The Congress has 40 MLAs in the 68-member assembly. The leader of the Legislature Party will be elected in the capital Shimla in the presence of the party’s state in-charge Rajeev Shukla and special observer and Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel. State party president Pratibha Singh, former party chief Sukhwinder Sukhu and Mukesh Agnihotri are being considered as the main contenders for the chief minister’s post.
A decision will be taken on authorizing Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to finalize the name of the Legislature Party leader in the meeting.
The Congress on Thursday secured an absolute majority in the assembly elections by winning 40 seats, while the incumbent BJP was reduced to 25 seats.
Acknowledging the adverse mandate, outgoing Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, under whose leadership the BJP went into the polls, told the media here, “I respect the mandate of the people and I respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government during the last five years.” Would like to thank them for their invaluable support. We will stand for the development of the state irrespective of politics. We will also analyze our shortcomings and improve in the next term.”
Thakur submitted his resignation to the Governor, who accepted it.
Several other sitting ministers including Suresh Bhardwaj, Ram Lal Markanda, Sarveen Chowdhary, Rakesh Pathania, Govind Thakur, Virender Kanwar and Rajiv Saizal lost the election.
Three independents, including two rebels of the BJP and one of the Congress, emerged victorious.
Himachal Pradesh has not brought any sitting government back to power since 1985.
