Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu likely to be next Himachal CM, say Congress sources

Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu who headed the Congress campaign committee in Himachal Pradesh is likely to be the next chief minister, party sources said on Saturday.

The sources said the party high command has cleared the name of Sukhu, the MLA from Nadaun, for the top job.

He is likely to be elected as the Congress Legislature Party leader at a meeting of newly elected party MLAs in Shimla Saturday evening.

The new chief minister is likely to take oath Sunday, the sources said.

In their meeting Friday evening, the MLAs had unanimously passed a resolution authorising the party president to pick the legislature party leader, who will be the next chief minister.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge earlier said the party observers sent to the hill state were seeking views of all party legislators individually and they would convey to him their opinions, based on which the party would take a decision on the chief ministerial candidate.

The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday.

Several leaders including state Congress chief Pratibha Singh and leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly Mukesh Agnihotri were also in the race for the post of chief minister.