As per trends, it seems Congress is likely to keep the "riwaaj (tradition)" in the hill state alive. As the counting of votes progresses, Congress leads in 39 seats. If Congress wins the hill state, who will be Chief Minister?
The Congress has three strong likely candidates for the CM post. Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Mukesh Agnihotri and Pratibha Singh's names are at top of the list of the CM candidate. Earlier when BJP taunted Congress regarding the CM's candidature, the Congress had responded saying they are a democracy and therefore will have not just eight maybe more candidates for CM post.
Congress leader Sukhwinder Sukhu is contesting from Nadaun seat and is presently leading with 35,011 votes, according to Election Commission at 3.35 pm. Sukhu is the former state president and current chief of the Congress campaign committee. He is one of the strongest contenders for the CM's post. He is a three-time MLA.
Another strong CM candidate is the Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri. He is contesting from Haroli in south-west Himachal. He was a four-time MLA from Santokgarh before delimitation. He was elected Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader after the 2017 Assembly polls.
Prathibha Singh, the current Himachal PCC chief and the wife of the former CM Virbhadra Singh. Since she is a sitting MP, she is not contesting the Assembly elections. In 2004, she was first elected to Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency. In 2013, she defeated incumbent CM Jai Ram Thakur.
Also, Kaul Singh Thakur's name too is considered for the CM post in Himachal. He has served as Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board (with Cabinet rank).
