File photo of Virbhadra Singh
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today ruled out his resignation in the wake of Congress' defeat in the state.
"It is a defeat of the party and not the Chief Minister. Why should I resign? I do not think it is a moral responsibility to resign because issues involved were beyond my control," Mr Singh said.
Congress has lost all the four seats in the hill state including Mandi from where Mr Singh's wife Pratibha was the party candidate and the sitting MP. There have been a dozen odd states where the Congress could not win a single seat and these include major ones like Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Mr Singh's statement came close on the heels of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announcing his plans to submit his resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday.
"I have sought an appointment to meet the Congress President. If I get it tomorrow, I will submit my resignation to her," Mr Gogoi told reporters in New Delhi.
Mr Gogoi, however, said he does not know whether Gandhi will accept his resignation or not as he has not spoken to her yet.
After Congress got its lowest ever tally in Assam - three out of 14 Lok Sabha seats - in the Lok Sabha election, 78-year-old Gogoi has said on Saturday that he would resign within a week.
The three-time Chief Minister has already admitted to "arrogance and complacency" but said he would not leave politics and would continue to work for party's recovery.
Sources said Congress in Assam has been plagued by factionalism and dissidence with State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma allegedly leading the anti-Gogoi campaign.