Supporters of Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh raised slogans in her favour on Saturday soon after reports that the party high command had given its nod to the elevation of party leader Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu as the next Chief Minister.
A large number of supporters of Pratibha Singh, wife of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, came out and raised slogans near the hotel where the central observers are staying. They said the Chief Minister should be like “Rani Sahiba”, a reference to Pratibha Singh as she is married into the erstwhile royal family of Rampur Bushahr. Virbhadra Singh, who passed away last year, had been chief minister several times and was a dominant political leader of the state. Pratibha Singh has said that the legacy of her late husband and his goodwill among people was a major factor in the Congress victory in the state.
“High command hosh me aao, Hamari CM kaisi ho rani sahiba jaisi ho. Rani sahiba zindabad,” were some of the slogans raised by Pratibha Singh’s supporters. They also raised slogans hailing Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi
A Congress worker, who was part of the gathering, said if Pratibha Singh is not chosen as the CM, Congress will not be able to win a single seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
“When the state was going through difficult days Rani Pratibha Singh was elected as the MP. Today when Congress has come to power with her as the party chief, she has not been declared CM. In the 2024 elections, Congress will not win a single seat if Rani is not chosen as the CM,” he said.
Congress sources had said earlier that Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, a former chief of Himachal Congress, is expected to be the next chief minister of the state with the party’s central leadership approving his name.
“His name will be announced by this evening after discussing it with other leaders,” a source said.
The decision came a day after the newly-elected Congress MLAs passed a resolution authorising Congress high command to select the next leader of legislature party.
The sources said Vikramaditya Singh, son of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, is likely to be given a big responsibility in the government.
They said Sukhu’s name was decided after consultations with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who talked to members of the Gandhi family.
Congress had won the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh winning 40 seats. The BJP won 25 seats.
Sukhu is MLA from Nadaun and has held several organisational posts in the hill state.
Talking to reporters, Sukhu said that he was not aware of the decision of the High Command.
“I am not yet aware of the decision of the High Command. I am going to the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting,” he said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
