Sonia likely to announce Haryana CM

March 03, 2005

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is expected to name the new Chief Minister of Haryana today.

AICC general secretary in charge of the state, Janardan Dwiwedi, along with senior party leaders PM Sayeed and Ashok Gehlot, met the party MLAs individually on the issue.

After ascertaining their views on whom they prefer as the next chief minister, the three leaders submitted the report to party President Sonia Gandhi for a final decision.

The 67-MLA strong Congress Legislature Party of the state had on Tuesday authorised Gandhi to take a decision with regard to naming a CLP leader, after their meeting in Chandigarh.

Presently, HPCC chief and former state chief minister Bhajan Lal is the frontrunner for the post.

Others in the fray include senior party leaders B S Hooda, MP, Union Minister of state Kumari Selja, Working PCC Chief Randeep Surjewala and his father former PCC Chief S S Surjewala, former PCC Chief Birender Singh, party MLA and industrialist OP Jindal.

While Selja belongs to Dalit community, Jindal from Vaishya community, Lal is a Brahmin.

Other contenders --- Surjewala, Birender Singh and Hooda belong to the dominant Jat community.