When Congress president Sonia Gandhi addresses an election rally in Kullu on Friday, her speech will be closely followed for any indication of who will be the party's chief ministerial candidate in the event it wins a majority.

Though reports have indicated that the Congress enjoys an edge in Himachal Pradesh, the party has not been able to consolidate this advantage.

The main problem is the lack of a chief ministerial candidate.

The Congress is aware that most of the contests in the state will be close ones. So, even though the Congress has an edge, the result can still go either way.

According to the feedback it has received, the only way the party can hope to improve its chances would be if it announces its chief ministerial candidate.

Realising this, it is believed that in the course of the last two days, the Congress president made up her mind on the issue after consultations with other leaders.

In Shimla, Friday's papers are full of reports that Virbhadra Singh, a popular leader in the state, is the chosen one.

However, until a formal announcement is made, speculation on this issue will persist.

Hence, the heightened interest in Sonia Gandhi's rally in Kullu at 1200 IST.

But the BJP does not seem to be perturbed by this development. Tiku Thakur, a senior leader from Shimla, said, "If Virbhadra Singh is projected as the chief ministerial candidate, state Congress chief Vidya Stokes will take offence leading to infighting. With just five days left for the poll, it will be difficult for the Congress leadership to placate her supporters."

"This will only benefit the BJP, what with a low voter turnout expected due to the sub-normal temperatures," he said.

If the Congress does indeed project Virbhadra Singh as chief minister in the event of the party winning a majority, it will be breaking convention as the chief minister is chosen only after the election results are out.

Another convention that would be broken is that of the Congress state unit president taking over as the chief minister.