Dehra Dun: Wrangling within the Congress party in Uttarakhand, it seems, have stalled the announcement of the party chief in the state. Subsequently divided house has also delayed the announcement of the new chief minister. Perhaps to sort out the issue, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, a central observer, is camping in the state capita. He is holding talks with the 32 newly-elected MLAs of the party to clear the air.
There are four heavy weights in the state. One of the group is headed by Union Minister Harish Rawat, while former Union Minister Satpal Maharaj is heading another camp. Senior leader Vijay Bahuguna and PCC chief Yashpal Arya are two other in race for the post of CM. To form a government, Congress will need support of Independents. Of the 70-member House, Congress has 32 MLAs – four short of majority. But with the support of three Independents and one MLA from UKD(P), the figure of 36, should pave way for Congress. Way back in 2002, infighting between members of ND Tiwari and Harish Rawat groups had delayed in formation of the Congress government in the state.