"In Virbhadra Singh's Name...": Himachal's Ex-Royal Family Makes A Play For Top Post

Himachal’s Ex-Royal Family Makes A Play For Top Post: Pratibha Singh, the former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh and a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress, has announced her bid to become the next state’s chief minister. This follows her husband Virbhadra Singh’s death last year after his six-year term in office.

“People gave us this mandate as a tribute to Virbhadra ji, and today is an emotional moment for me. It seems like one of the many times when he led us to victory,” she told NDTV in Shimla, where MLAs are to meet tomorrow for a decision and central party observers will be present.

Prerna Singh’s son, Vikramditya, backed her and said that she was always a contender for the erstwhile royal house of Rampur Bushahr.

When asked if he too was in the race, Vikramaditya Singh did not rule out the possibility: “I will not back out if the party gives me any responsibility.”

He did add, “The Congress is a party that encourages all members to share their opinions and ideas, and whatever the MLAs decide will be respected.”
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There are three contenders for the position besides Virbhadra Singh’s wife or son: The current Leader of Opposition Sukhvinder Sukhu, senior leader Mukesh Agnihotri, and Tirath Singh Khanduri.

One of the reasons why the party feared “Operation Lotus” was because they were worried that BJP’s plans were to topple the ruling parties with more MLA defections. Recently, this happened in Uttar Pradesh- where the Congress was responsible for a lack of opposition and brought “under pressure and cowed through blackmail”.

Seeing Congress set for a slim win, it was suggested that MLAs be sent to a Congress-governed state or at least the bordering region of Chandigarh to better protect them from BJP poaching attempts.

The Himachal Pradesh MLAs are now meeting in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh. The BJP only has 25 seats there and the party is 40 seats ahead of them.

When The Telegraph spoke to Party’s central observer about who will be CM, he said, “The high command will decide after discussions with our MLAs.”