Intense lobbying continued for the chief minister's post on Saturday, a day after the newly elected Congress MLAs unanimously passed a resolution authorising the party president to pick the legislature party leader.

From the morning itself, Congress MLAs made a beeline to Cecil Hotel in Shimla where the party's central observers -- Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda -- were staying.

Even after winning the assembly polls with a clear mandate, the Congress is finding it difficult to fill the void created by the death of six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh and reach a consensus on the legislature party leader who will become the CM.

Several leaders including state Congress Chief Pratibha Singh, leader of the opposition in the outgoing Assembly Mukesh Agnihotri and head of the election campaign committee Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who are believed to be the frontrunners for the top post, met the observers individually.

Pratibha Singh, 66, has indicated that she is in the running for the chief minister's post, a point also made by her son.

Speaking to media persons on Saturday, Sukhu maintained that "I am not a chief minister aspirant. I am just a Congress worker and whatever decision the high command would take would be accepted." On Friday, the observers, along with AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla met Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and submitted a list of the party's winning MLAs to the Governor and "sought time" to formally stake claim to form the government.

The Congress wrested power from the BJP in the hill state winning 40 of the 68 assembly seats. The polling was held on November 12 and the results were declared Thursday.

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