Shimla/New Delhi: Himachal Congress chief Pratibha Singh, backed by her MLA son Vikramditya Singh, has made a play for the chief minister's post in the name of her late husband Virbhadra Singh, the six-time chief minister who died last year.
"People have given us this mandate as a tribute to Virbhadra ji. Today is an emotional moment for me, and it seems like one of the many times that he led the party to victory," she told NDTV in Shimla, where MLAs are to meet tomorrow for a decision, in the presence of central party observers.
Pratibha Singh's son Vikramditya, his father's political successor and the scion of the erstwhile royal house of Rampur Bushahr, backed her and said she is indeed one of the contenders.
"She is the state party president; it is because of her that we have won. If at all it comes to her (being chosen), we are ready to take on any responsibility." he told NDTV. She is currently an MP from Mandi, a seat vacated upon Virbhadra Singh's death. Law does not require her to be MLA to be chief minister, though she will need to be elected within six months.
Vikramaditya Singh, when asked if he too was in the race, did not rule that out either: "I will not back out if the party gives me any responsibility."
He did add, "The Congress is a democratic party, and whatever the MLAs decide will be honoured."
There are two other contenders besides Virbhadra Singh's wife or son, who have not made any outward play yet: Sukhvinder Sukhu and Mukesh Agnihotri.
This factionalism was one reason why the party feared BJP's "Operation Lotus", code for PM Narendra Modi's party getting MLAs to switch loyalties to topple Opposition parties' governments. The Congress suffered this in Madhya Pradesh not long ago.
When the Congress looked set for a win — but a slender one — there were talks of taking MLAs to a Congress-ruled state or at least to neighbouring Chandigarh, to better fight off the BJP's poaching attempts.
Now the MLAs are meeting in Himachal capital Shimla tomorrow as the party has a comfortable margin ahead of the BJP — 40 seats in the 68-member House, against the BJP's 25.
Party's central observer, when asked about who will be chief minister, took the familiar Congress line: "The high command will decide after discussion with MLAs."
Himachal is essential to giving the Congress some confidence as today it lost badly in PM Modi's home state Gujarat.