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Sonia to name Haryana CM today
Yoginder Gupta
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 2
The heartbeat of Haryana Congress leaders has the dangerous level following the submission of their report by the observers appointed by the high command for the first meeting of the Haryana Congress Legislature Party held here yesterday to elect its leader, to the AICC President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

According to information received here, the observers, Union Energy Minister P.M. Sayeed; and two AICC General Secretaries, Mr Ashok Gehlot and Mr Janardhan Dwivedi; submitted their report to Mrs Gandhi around 4-30 p.m. today. They refused to give details of their report to newsmen.

Mrs Gandhi is expected to take a decision on the next Chief Minister of Haryana tomorrow.

The CLP had authorised Mrs Gandhi to choose its leader. However, the observers, after the CLP adopted the resolution authorising Mrs Gandhi, met each MLA individually and separately, to know their choice of the leader.

The observers, who had their dinner at the residence of the Punjab Finance Minister, Mr Surinder Singla, reached Delhi last night by road. Earlier they were booked on a train from Ambala. However, their reservation was cancelled when the proceedings prolonged. The Haryana Congress President, Mr Bhajan Lal, was also present at Mr Singla’s residence.

Senior leaders of the Haryana Congress, many of whom claimants for the Chief Minister’s post, also reached Delhi either this morning or late last night.

Though the report has been submitted to the AICC chief, different groups continue to make claims about the number of MLAs whose support their leaders enjoy. While the Bhajan Lal group claims that 45 of the 66 MLAs present at the CLP meeting backed the Haryana Congress President’s candidature, the others refute it. Anti-Bhajan Lal groups, on the other hand, claim that a majority of the MLAs had opposed his candidature. Lot of speculation is on the number game.

Rumour-mongers had a field day today. Names of various leaders, including those who are neither an MP nor an MLA from Haryana, were floated as being favoured by the high command. The only qualification of such leaders was that they belong to Haryana.