Himachal Pradesh Congress Chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh on Sunday hinted that her son Vikramaditya Singh would be inducted into the new cabinet of the state.
Talking to reporters in the state she replied "Almost" when asked if her son & Shimla Rural MLA Vikramaditya Singh will be a minister in the state cabinet.
This comes a day after Congress decided to make four-time MLA from Nadaun, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh. There has been a contention in the Himachal Congress since the party won the recently concluded assembly polls over the name of CM.
Earlier, state party chief and wife of late Virbhadra Singh said that Congress cannot ignore “Virbhadra Singh’s family. She said that the party won on his name and work, so it cannot ignore his family at all.
Following the announcement of Sukhu’s name on Saturday, supporters of Pratibha Singh raised slogans outside the party office to register their anguish over the decision of the High Command. Sukhu’s name was finalised after the maximum number of MLAs backed his candidature for the top post.
Earlier today, Sukhu went to invite Pratibha Singh to the swearing-in ceremony. He said that Singh is the head of the state Congress and hence it is his responsibility to invite her before anyone else.
When asked if she would attend the ceremony, Pratibha Singh said, “Obviously I will attend the swearing-in ceremony. It is my duty to attend it.”
The name of Mukesh Agnihotri, a five-time MLA, and leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly was approved for the post of deputy CM.
Before the CLP meeting that took place in the Vidhan Sabha, the Congress party’s central observers Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and former Haryana CM Bhupendra Hooda along with Himachal in-charge Rajiv Shukla met Sukhu, Agnihotri, and Pratibha Singh.
Immediately after the CLP meeting, Sukhu and Agnihotri called on Governor Rajinder Arlekar and staked a claim to form the government. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the historic Ridge at 1.30 PM Sunday.