Drama, Show Of Strength Ahead of Congress Meet On Himachal Chief Minister

Drama, Show Of Strength Ahead of Congress Meet On Himachal Chief Minister
In a sign of trouble for the Congress after its victory in Himachal Pradesh, party workers raised slogans and even blocked the convoy of their own leader in an aggressive show of support for Pratibha Singh, a frontrunner for Chief Minister

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Pratibha Singh's supporters gathered outside the Oberoi Cecil in Shimla and stopped the convoy of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, one of the central leaders sent to Himachal Pradesh to decide on a Chief Minister.

In a video, the workers were seen surrounding Mr Baghel's car and raising slogans in favour of Pratibha Singh, a Congress MP who led the party's Himachal Pradesh campaign but didn't contest the polls.

There are at least three more candidates for the top job - Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Mukesh Agnihotri and Harshwardhan Chauhan.

Supporters of Mr Sukhu also gathered outside the hotel to push for their leader, who is leader of opposition in the outgoing state assembly.

Hours before the big Congress meeting, Pratibha Singh said: "There is no groupism and everybody is with us." Ms Singh has been transmitting clear messages that she wants to be Chief Minister.

This morning, she sought to remind her party that the elections were fought and won in the name of her husband Virbhadra Singh, who died last year.

"I think I can lead the state as the Chief Minister since Sonia ji and the High Command gave me the responsibility to lead the party ahead of the elections," Mr Singh told NDTV.

"It won't be right to sideline Virbhadra Singh's family when the election was fought and won in the name of Virbhadra Singh. We won 40 seats only because people have a strong emotional connect with Virbhadra Singh," she asserted.

There will be many claimants to the post of Chief Minister and the high command's decision is the final one, but Virbhadra's legacy cannot be neglected," Ms Singh said.

"We have to keep our flock together and the CM will be decided soon, things will be much clearer in today's meeting," she added.

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