Congress to decide new Uttarakhand CM soon

With many claimants for the chief minister's post in Uttarakhand, the ball was on Saturday back in the court of All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi to take a call, as the party observers wrapped up their consultations with Congress and independent Members of Legislative Assembly on the leadership issue.

Congress general secretaries Ghulam Nabi Azad and Chaudhary Birendra Singh, in-charge of the affairs in the state, held separate talks with each of the party's 32 newly-elected MLAs in Dehradun.

The two leaders also met two of the three independent MLAs -- Mantri Prasad Naithani and Dinesh Dhanai -- as well as the lone Uttarakhand Kranti Dal legislator Pritam Singh Panwar.

Harish Durgapal, an independent and another Congress rebel from Lal Kuan, was not present due to the marriage of his son in Kumaon region.

"We held discussions with the newly-elected MLAs. Now we will brief party president Sonia Gandhi on the views of these MLAs", said Azad, adding that the new leader will be chosen in a day or two.

Later, Azad and Chaudhary returned to New Delhi.

Leader of the opposition Harak Singh Rawat, Union minister Harish Rawat, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Yashpal Arya and senior party leaders Vijaya Bahuguna and Indira Hirdesh are among the contenders for the CM's post.

What has complicated the Congress' task of choosing the Congress Legislature Party leader is the conflicting choices of the three independents whose support is crucial for the party's formation of the government.

While Dhanai has openly rooted for Bahuguna as CM, Naithani is backing Satpal Maharaj while Durgapal is backing Hirdesh.

In the 70-member House, Congress has 32 MLAs -- four short of majority -- and the party needs the support of three Independents and one MLA from UKD-P to reach the magic figure of 36.

Birendra Singh said, "We will take the views of all the MLAs and elect the new CLP leader very soon."