For aspirants, wait gets longer as Sukhu says expansion after Assembly session

The Himachal CM, along with Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, state party chief Pratibha Singh and all the newly elected MLAs was talking to reporters party meeting AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence. AICC in-charge of state Rajeev Shukla was also present.

The meeting comes even as some MLAs have started reaching out to the central leadership to secure a Cabinet berth. Sukhu can induct 10 more ministers.

Incidentally, the legislators met Kharge a day after Sukhu arrived in Delhi and held meetings with senior Congress leaders.

During the meeting, Kharge asked Sukhu to share power with party workers so that they also feel the ownership of the government and work more closely with public, sources said.

Kharge also told the party leadership in the state to fill up all vacancies in the government and make appointments in the boards and corporations soon.

He asked the MLAs to remain united and urged them to remain connected with the grassroots level and serve the people of Himachal Pradesh earnestly.

Terming the meeting as a courtesy call, Sukhu said, “We had come to thank the Congress president as he had campaigned for us in the elections and lent us party’s full support. Kharge ji thanked the people of Himachal for electing a Congress government”.

Later, Sukhu and all legislators, besides Pratibha Singh, left for Rajasthan, where they will be joining the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Sources privy to the developments in Delhi said that high command has asked Sukhu to ensure that there is equitable share of power between various factions and regions of the hill state, especially while deciding the names for the Cabinet.

With CM and deputy CM from Hamirpur and Una, the Cabinet will look to strike a balance between Upper and Lower Himachal.
Shimla Rural MLA Vikramaditya Singh is likely to find his way into the Council of Ministers, as a measure to placate his mother Pratibha Singh who had staked claim to the CM post stating that her husband and six-time former CM Virbhadra Singh’s legacy cannot be ignored.

Talking to reporters in Delhi, Vikramaditya, a second time legislator, said the high command would decide on Cabinet formation. “The Congress will provide good governance in the next five years and fulfil all the promises made to people,” he added.

Anirudh Singh, elected for the third time from Kasumpti, is also a frontrunner for the Cabinet berth. Hailing from a royal family, Anirudh, who defeated sitting minister Suresh Bharadwaj, is considered close to Sukhu.

Another close associate of Sukhu and Jubbal Kotkhai MLA Rohit Thakur is also in the running with prty sources saying he may be assigned horticulture department. Rohit Thakur had led the apple farmers’ protests in Shimla and has influence in the region.

The oldest legislator in the new Vidhan Sabha, 82-year-old Dhani Ram Shandil too may be accommodated in the Council of Ministers. A three-time MP from Shimla, Shandil, who defeated his own son-in-law to win from Solan Assembly constituency, was eyeing the deputy CM chair, which eventually went to Agnihotri who was one of the three CM post aspirants. Shandil had argued that he should be given the post due to his seniority.

The other Cabinet berth contenders include RS Bali (Nagrota Bhawan), Ashish Butail (Palampur), Sunder Singh Thakur (Kullu), and Jagat Singh Negi (Kinnaur). Kuldeep Singh Rathore, a former HPCC chief who had his first election victory from Theog, and is a close aide of the Gandhi family, is also eyeing a position in the Cabinet.

So far, Sukhu has appointed three associates as advisors.

Senior party leader Chandra Kumar was on Wednesday appointed as pro-tem Speaker and he would administer the oath to the newly elected MLAs.

With PTI