Gujarat, Himachal Election Results 2022 Live Updates: Party's high command to decide on Himachal CM, say Congress MLAs

The media reports that there is a division inside the party are absolutely wrong. Congress party stands united: Congress HP in-charge Rajeev Shukla

All 40 MLAs took part in the CLP meeting today and all have unanimously passed the proposal to leave the decision to select the CM of the state on party high command: Congress Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajeev Shukla

No one name was suggested by any MLA, and all MLAs unanimously passed a resolution to leave the decision of choosing the CM to the party's high command. We will submit our report to the party high command tomorrow: Congress Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajeev Shukla, at Shimla

The Congress Legislature Party meeting was scheduled to begin at 3 pm but was delayed as several MLAs could not reach Shimla from far-away places earlier.

The MLAs are expected to pass a resolution authorising the Congress chief to pick the legislature party leader who will be the next chief minister.

Chief Minister hopefuls Pratibha Singh, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu reached the party office for the Congress Legislature Party meeting along with their supporters, who raised slogans in their favour.

As the party's central observers -- Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former CM of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda -- worked to find a consensus candidate, a group of supporters of Pratibha Singh, the state party chief and the wife of former CM Virbhadra Singh, blocked their vehicle and raised slogans in her support.

The battle for the CM post has intensified within the Himachal Pradesh Congress as the supporters of party's state unit president Pratibha Singh are pressurising the high command through observers. A majority of MLAs are siding with Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the rest are with other claimants in small groups.

39 Congress legislators are present in the meeting, one legislator on the way from Mandi to Shimla. Observers, Congress State Chief and AICC in charge of Himachal Pradesh are present in the Congress Legislature Party meeting.

Himachal Congress Legislature Party meeting begins in Shimla to discuss appointment of next chief minister

Congress Legislature Party meeting underway at party office in Shimla.

A person chosen by the elected MLAs and party high command will be the chief minister of Himachal Pradesh: Sudhir Sharma, Congress MLA from Dharamshala

Drama outside Congress office in Shimla

There are no separate groups in Congress. CM will be decided by MLAs in the CLP meeting. Party high command to take the final decision: Sanjay Ratan, Congress MLA from Jawalamukhi

I am not a CM candidate. I am a disciplined soldier and worker of the Congress party and an MLA. Party high command's decision will be final: Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Shimla | No series of meetings are being conducted...Awaiting the arrival of all MLAs for the CLP meeting where a proposal will be passed, and the final decision will be taken by the party's high command: Rajeev Shukla, Congress Himachal Pradesh in-charge

Thirty-six outgoing MLAs will not be members of the fourteenth Himachal Assembly -- 26 members lost the elections while 10 others did not contest

Senior Congress leaders and former ministers, including Kaul Singh, Asha Kumari and Ram Lal Thakur, also failed to win. The new faces included Lokender Singh (Anni), Dr Janak Raj (Bharmour), Triolok Jamwal (Bilaspur), D S Thakur (Dalhousie), Puran Chand (Darang), Deep Raj (Karsog), Dilip Singh (Sarkaghat), Ranvir Singh Nikka (Nurpur), all from the BJP.

Eight cabinet minister were trounced.

Only three -- outgoing Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his cabinet colleagues Bikram Singh and Sukh Ram Chaudhary -- managed to retain their seats. BJP stalwart Rajiv Bindal, who was elected to the assembly five times in a row and served as minister, speaker and party's state unit president, lost the poll.

23 first-time MLAs in 68-member Himachal assembly

Among the 68 newly elected legislators in Himachal Pradesh, 23 are first-timers -- 14 of the Congress, eight of BJP and one independent. The election, results of which were announced Thursday, threw up many upsets and surprises.

EC notifies names of newly elected legislators in HP Assembly

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday notified the names of newly elected members of Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha alongwith their party affiliation and presented it to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. Principal Secretary ECI Rahul Sharma and Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg met the governor and presented a certificate bearing names of members elected in the recently held Vidhan Sabha elections.

Pratibha Singh arrives at Congress headquarters in Shimla

Himachal Pradesh Congress Chief Pratibha Virbhadra Singh arrives at Congress headquarters in Shimla for the Legislature Party meeting.