The fear of MLAs being poached are relevant when there is a neck-to-neck contest, but when it is a comfortable majority, the fear is conspicuously absent.
Earlier, Congress leaders planned to take the winning MLAs away to Chandigarh to avoid possible poaching efforts by BJP. However, the comfortable majority has instilled in them the confidence to stay at Shimla.
However, the stakes of Pratibha Singh are reportedly higher. Being the PCC chief as well the wife of late Congress satrap Virbhadra Singh, Pratibha has remained a constant favourite for the party high commands. If she gets the CM post, she will have to get elected from any assembly seat within six months of taking oath.
The commendable results of Congress in Himachal Pradesh while by a few are attributed to the ‘riwaz’ of alternating government, the party wants to give credits to the party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi whose campaign trail perhaps worked for the first time. Priyanka’s earlier failure in Uttar Pradesh though made people question her credentials, reports say that the victory in Himachal Pradesh would legitimise her relevance.