Shimla, Mar 27 (Reporter) Still smarting under the humiliation of the recent Rajya Sabha poll setback caused by the cross-voting of six party MLAs, allegedly with the blessings of some trusted top leaders in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Congress bigwigs huddled in Chandigarh on Wednesday in a bid to heal the continuing rifts in the organisation. The leaders huddling at the Himachal Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh are part of the coordination panel formed by the party high command recently after the RS polls to resolve the factional feuds and make the organisation battle ready for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed that the party has gone through troubled waters over the alleged incident of "horse trading involving the six MLAs", who have now been disqualified by the Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania. All six have joined the BJP after losing their Assembly membership. Interacting with media persons, Agnihotri stated that the party is trying to put its house in order as a cabinet subcommittee was constituted by the leadership to ensure the stability of the state government, which has been reduced to a weak majority. He said the cabinet sub-committee met on Monday, and decided to request state party president Pratibha Singh to fight the Lok Sabha poll from Mandi constituency. Pratibha Singh, the sitting Lok Sabha member from Mandi, refused to contest the election while interacting with party workers on Tuesday, but said if the AICC still insists on her fighting, she may accept the decision. The six legislators, who ensured the victory of BJP candidate Harsh Mahajan over Congress aspirant Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the February 27 Rajya Sabha poll, have been nominated by the saffron outfit for the June 1 Assembly by-polls being held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. Agnihotri said the Congress' victory in the by-polls would ensure the stability of the state government. The party won 40 seats in the 68-strong Assembly in 2022, with the BJP claiming 25. After the revolt and resignation by the MLAs, the Congress' strength has been reduced to 34. The coordination panel during the huddle would try to control the damage caused to the Congress and reorganise the party units in the six assembly seats. Agnihotri claimed the state government would complete its five-year term as a number of guarantee given by the party ahead of the 2022 assembly elections have already been fulfilled. The BJP has declared its candidates for all four LS candidates, while nominating the six erstwhile Congress MLAs for the Assembly bye-elections. But the Congress has been unable to declare its candidates due to the intense factionalism in the party. Observers feel to resolve the issue of factionalism in the party, the party may opt for a change of guard in the state organisation, as Pratibha Singh has already completed a three-year term. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu wants Panchayat Raj Minister Anirudh Singh to be named for the HPCC top post; however, Pratibha Singh may support former state party president Kuldeep Singh Rathore. Party all India General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was in the town and left for Lok Sabha election canvassing on Monday, also interacted with Anirudh Singh, apparently to get his consent for the coveted posts. Among the party leaders from Kangra and Bilaspur (former state party chief Viplav Thakur and Ram Lal Thakur), too are critical of the functioning of the incumbent PCC chief. The two leaders are not happy with the increasing differences between the party and the government...////...