Congress set to declare name of new Chhattigarh CM today

New Delhi: After selecting the chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi held hectic parleys with top party leaders on Saturday to decide on the top post for Chhattisgarh. After meeting all four contenders for the chief ministership, the Congress president tweeted a picture with all of them and wrote: “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you are playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh too, Mr Gandhi had tweeted pictures of the prospective CM candidates with himself. Sources say that the decision on Chhattisgarh has already been made, and will be announced in Raipur after the legislature party meet at noon on Sunday.

Mr Gandhi has held several rounds of meetings with Chhattisgarh’s four potential chief ministerial candidates — T.S. Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Bhupesh Baghel and Charan Das Mahant — at his Tughlaq Lane residence here. Congress central observer Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC in-charge for party affairs in Chhattisgarh P.L. Punia were also present at the meeting. Sources added that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present at the Congress president’s residence as well.

Insiders claim that the Rajasthan formula is likely to be put in place in Chhattisgarh, with a deputy chief minister in place. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government is expected to take place on Monday. The Congress had on Friday named Ashok Gehlot as the next chief minister of Rajasthan after several rounds of discussions that lasted over two days. In Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader Kamal Nath was made chief minister-designate on December 13. Since the election results were declared on Tuesday the Congress high command has been in hectic parleys trying to sort out the leadership issues in the three states.