New Delhi: As Congress is almost certain of its victory in Himachal Pradesh, its leader Pawan Khera Thursday said that the party will now start the process of forming the government. "We will initiate the process of forming the government. It was a victory we expected," Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera told ETV Bharat.
Asked about the Congress Chief Minister face for the hill state, Khera said that the party leadership will take a call on it. There are several names doing the round for the post of the Chief Minister from Congress which of course may lead the party leadership to face a difficult situation.
Sources in the Congress said that five names are seriously being considered by the party leadership. They include Pratibha Singh, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Mukesh Agnihotri, Thakur Kaul Singh and Asha Kumari.
"It's a good sign in democracy when you have more than one Chief Ministerial candidate," said Khera. He said that the victory in Himachal Pradesh will definitely give a boost to the party leadership in the coming days. "In the coming election, the victory in Himachal Pradesh would definitely give a boost to our workers and all leaders," Khare added.
Also read: As Himachal numbers look comfortable, Congress moves in quickly to secure MLAs
As the numbers look comfortable in Himachal, Congress fears poaching of MLAs by the BJP and is rushing senior AICC functionaries to secure the newly-elected lawmakers. According to sources, AICC in charge of Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel -- who is also the AICC observer for the hill state, and former Haryana Chief Minsiter Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been asked to reach Shimla to ensure the newly-elected MLAs are safe.
“We may not take the MLAs outside the state but we need to take steps to secure them. Everyone knows how the BJP plays its dirty tricks,” a senior AICC functionary said on condition of anonymity. As per the latest trends, Congress is leading in 40 out of 68 seats -- which is above the halfway mark needed to form a government in Himachal -- while the BJP was leading in 24, leaving a clear-cut gap between the two rivals.
The Himachal victory is crucial for the Congress, which is likely to face a drubbing in Gujarat, while the BJP appeared set for a record win after being in power for 27 years in the western state. Despite the projections that the Congress would be above the halfway mark in Himachal, there is a concern within the AICC that the saffron party may try to snatch its victory by poaching party MLAs.
