Shimla (The Hawk): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur announced on Thursday that he will be submitting his resignation to the Governor after admitting that the Assembly elections were close, with the BJP and the Congress winning by a combined margin of less than 1,000 votes in at least 11 seats.
Putting aside rumours of horse trading to establish a claim to form the government, the straightforward Thakur, who won re-election to the Seraj Assembly for a record-breaking sixth time, said he respects the will of the people.
When asked about the likelihood of the BJP stealing Congress MPs, he responded, "It is for the Congress to maintain its flock (of legislators) together.
Around 3.31 p.m., the opposition Congress overtook the incumbent BJP in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly by winning 16 seats and taking the lead on 23 of the 68 seats, while the incumbent party had taken the lead on 13 seats. The seats were also won by three independents.
"We will have a full majority and create a government...
She (Pratibha Singh) is one of the candidates for the position of chief executive officer, according to Congressman Vikramaditya Singh, who kept his Shimla (Rural) seat. He is the son of the late Virbhadra Singh, a senior leader who served as chief minister six times.
Pratibha Singh, the leader of the state party, has not run for office.
"We have the mandate from the people. We are free to meet with our MLAs anywhere, whether in the state or Chandigarh. We will build the government with the support of those who won, Pratibha Singh assured the media.
In the past nearly forty years, Himachal Pradesh has not elected an incumbent government back to office.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was running in the Assembly elections for the first time, had been absent from the state months before the election as its leaders concentrated on growing its support base in Gujarat.
It ran candidates for 67 seats, although it hasn't yet opened an account.
Congressmen started the festivities in the state capital by handing out candy.
In his seat of Nadaun in the Hamirpur district, politician Sukhvinder Sukhu declared, "The Congress will form a government with full majority."
Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, is being rushed to the hill state by the Congress, along with top politicians Bhupinder Hooda and Rajiv Shukla.
Baghel voiced concern about the Congress MLAs being poached.
(Inputs from Agencies)
