Fourth day and counting: Congress fail to zero in on Chhattisgarh CM

After selecting chief ministers of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday held hectic parleys with top party leaders to decide on the top post for Chhattisgarh.

Gandhi held several rounds of discussion since morning with the four aspirants for the post--T S Singh Deo, Tamradhwaj Sahu, Bhupesh Baghel and Charan Das Mahant--at his Tughlaq Lane residence here.

The party sources said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were also present at the Congress chief's residence.
Congress central observer Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC in-charge for party affairs in Chhattisgarh P L Punia were also present at the meeting.

Sources said the process of consultation on who will be the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh was marked by flip-flop throughout the day.

They said an official announcement in this regard is expected on Sunday and a possible swearing-in will take place on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Congress president tweeted a smiling picture of all the four aspirants for the Chhattisgarh CM's post along with a quote by Reid Hoffman.

"No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you're playing a solo game, you'll always lose out to a team.
- Reid Hoffman," he tweeted.

Party sources said the Congress was also toying with the idea of having a CM and a deputy CM, and also mulling division of the CM term to accommodate more leaders.

Congress had romped home to power in Chhattisgarh after 15 years with a two-third majority.

The Congress had on Friday named Ashok Gehlot Rajasthan's next chief minister after several rounds of discussions lasting more than two days. In Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader Kamal Nath was announced as chief minister-designate on December 13.