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

Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Pratibha Singh informed that they will be holding a meeting to decide upon the name of the Chief Minister of the hill state in the evening. "We will be holding a meeting in the evening and then deciding the name of the CM. There is no groupism and everybody is with us," Pratibha Singh said hours after her statement sparked a row of controversy.

Congress State President Pratibha Virbhadra Singh on Friday said that the party cannot neglect the family of Virbhadra Singh as the party has won the election in his name, face and work many times. "After all the big responsibilities were given to me by Sonia Gandhi Ji, she told me that she has elected me as the party's state president where I would have to visit in all 68 constituencies and also to make sure that the party wins in the state. I did that work with utmost sincerity and the result is in before all of us today," she said.

Several names being discussed. All equations being seen. We should leave it to judgement of the newly elected MLAs. It's their prerogative. People took their decision. It is now up to the MLAs to decide who they want as their leader: HP Congress MLA Vikramaditya Singh

Global news outlets have widely reported on the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat where Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a campaign to a record win on his home turf.

On Thursday, the ruling BJP recorded a historic win in Gujarat, winning 156 seats. The BJP's 7th consecutive Assembly poll win in Gujarat is also its biggest since the founding of this state in 1960.

The Straits Times of Singapore, the Nikkei Asia, Al Jazeera, Independent, ABC News were among the global publications which displayed photographs of jubilant celebrations of the BJP's win in Gujarat.

On Thursday, Samajwadi Party strongman and incumbent MLA Kandhal Jadeja won the Kutiyana assembly seat by 26,712 votes over the nearest BJP challenger Dheliben Odedara.

While Jadeja polled 60163 votes, Odedara got 33532 votes. Bhimabhai Makvana of AAP polled 19273 votes. Throughout the election campaign, Jadeja urged supporters to disregard the "lotus and hand" (BJP and Congress election symbols) and support him this time around in the Kutiayana constituency by riding a bicycle instead.

The clock, a reference to the Nationalist Congress Party which had fielded him in 2017, has stopped and the cycle should run, the Samajwadi Party candidate said

With the Congress emerging victorious in Himachal Pradesh, state party president Pratibha Singh is considered a key frontrunner for the chief minister's post, closely followed by former party chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and outgoing CLP leader Mukesh Agnihotri.

Deciding on the chief ministerial face who can bind the party going forward is the immediate challenge for the Congress.

The newly-elected MLAs would meet soon to decide on their leader.

Though Pratibha Singh did not contest the assembly election and is not an MLA, she had campaigned extensively across the state. Singh is presently the Mandi MP after she won in the bye-election from outgoing chief minister Jairam Thakur's home district.

She also carries the legacy of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who steered the Congress in the state for over four decades.

Singh, party sources claimed, has the support of a majority of MLAs who have owed their allegiance to Virbhadra Singh who remained the Congress' undisputed leader in the hill state for long.

Pratibha Singh's son Vikramaditya has been elected as an MLA from Shimla rural and is also among the hopefuls, even though many consider him too young for the top post.

The other CM aspirants are Sukhu, an MLA from Nadaun, and Agnihotri, who was elected from Haroli. Both are hopeful that the party high command would recognise their work as former PCC chief and as Congress Legislature Party leader.

New CM will be sworn-in at 2 PM, reports State BJP Chief CR Paatil. PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah to attend the swearing-in ceremony.