Shimla: After facing defeat in Himachal Elections 2017, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh tendered his resignation to Governor Acharya Devrat today.

The Governor has accepted the resignation and asked him to continue in office along with his Council of Ministers to discharge the functions till an alternative arrangement is made or new Government is formed.

In the state assembly election the ruling Congress managed to win only 21 seats in the 68-member assembly, while BJP win 44 seats and CPM opened its account after 25 years. Two seats were won by independent candidates.

Virbhadra Singh, who had shifted to Arki assembly segment registered easy win over BJP candidate and his son Vikramaditya Singh also made to the Vidhan Sabha from Shimla Rural segment.

BJP has swept Mandi district. Party wins 9 seats in the district and in Kangra party secured 11 seats. BJP also made strong inroad in Shimla district, once a strong bastion of the Congress, by winning 3 seats. Congress, though, put decent show in Hamirpur and Solan district, but decimated in Una, Bilaspur, Chamba and Kullu districts. Five of its cabinet ministers lost election.

BJP fared decent in the election, but list its Chief Minsiter candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal from Sujanpur assembly segment. With the defeat of Dhumal now race for the top post has hot up and names of five times legislature Jai Ram Thakur and Union Cabinet minister JP Nadda making round in the political circle. Candidature of Rajiv Bindal and Suresh Bhardwaj also can’t be ruled out.