Himachal: Congress calls CLP meet on March 5 amid suspense over RS nominee

Even as suspense continues over the Congress candidate for the Rajya Sabha election, a meeting of the Himachal's Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has been convened for March 5 — the last date for filing nominations.

Himachal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said in Shimla on Tuesday that the party’s nominee, to be finalised by the high command, would file papers on March 5.

“The Congress Legislature Party meeting has been convened for March 5 at 11 am in the Ruling Party Lounge in the Vidhan Sabha, as it is the party MLAs who propose the name of the Rajya Sabha candidate. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 9 and polling will take place on March 16,” said Chauhan.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu returned from Delhi last evening after holding consultations with the party high command on the candidate to be fielded for the March 16 election. However, there is still no clarity on the nominee. The seat fell vacant following the completion of the term of BJP MP Indu Goswami.

Though several names are doing the rounds in political circles, Sukhu has maintained that the final decision will rest with the party high command. The ruling party is treading cautiously in view of the February 27, 2024 episode, when six Congress legislators cross-voted, ensuring the victory of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan in the Rajya Sabha election.

Despite having a comfortable majority of 40 in the 68-member Assembly at the time, the Congress failed to secure the win for its candidate. The six legislators, who were later disqualified and subsequently joined the BJP, had cited the fielding of an “outsider”, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, as one of the reasons for cross-voting. They had argued that the party could have chosen a suitable candidate from Himachal.

Having sprung a surprise in the 2024 Rajya Sabha poll, the BJP has not yet disclosed its strategy and is awaiting the Congress announcement before revealing its candidate.