NEW DELHI, Dec 10:
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu who headed the Congress campaign committee in Himachal Pradesh is likely to be the next Chief Minister, party sources said today.
The sources said the party high command has cleared the name of Sukhu, the 58-year-old MLA from Nadaun in Hamirpur district, for the top job.
The new Chief Minister is likely to take oath tomorrow, they said.
Mukesh Agnihotri, the leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly, is likely to be the Deputy Chief Minister, the sources said.
The names were finalised by the party leadership following deliberations with the MLAs over two days amid hectic lobbying by aspirants, including State Congress chief Pratibha Singh, the wife of Virbhadra Singh, the sources said.
Sukhu, a former president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, is a four-term legislator and is considered close to party leader Rahul Gandhi, they said.
He was known as a detractor of Congress veteran and six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, according to the sources.
Sukhu is likely to be elected as the Congress Legislature Party leader at a meeting of newly elected party MLAs in Shimla this evening. This will be the second meeting of the legislature party in 24 hours.
In their meeting on Friday evening, the MLAs had unanimously passed a resolution authorising the party president to pick the legislature party leader, who will be the next Chief Minister.
All three Chief Ministerial hopefuls had reached the party office in state capital Shimla on Friday evening for the CLP meeting along with their supporters, who raised slogans in their favour.
The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill State winning 40 of the 68 Assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared on Thursday.
The new Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister will be sworn in on December 11, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said today.
The veteran leader, who is on a maiden visit to his home town of Kalaburagi, after taking over as the AICC chief, urged the Karnataka Congress leaders and workers to work with unity to bring the party to power in the State, which will go to polls by April-May 2023.
“We have won in Himachal Pradesh by giving a 10-point programme. We have won there with a good majority. Tomorrow there is a swearing-in ceremony there. That’s the reason I had gone out to discuss with our senior leaders,” Kharge said.
Addressing a mega gathering here, he said after discussion with everyone we have decided to have a swearing-in ceremony for the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister tomorrow.
“It (Himachal Pradesh) like victory should repeat in Karnataka also, everyone should join hands and march forward…. I want Congress party and the Congress government here,” he added. (PTI)
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