Vijay Bahuguna chosen as Uttarakhand CM, Congress Leader Harish Rawat may quit

DEHRADUN: Congress Leader Mr Harish Rawat is planning to quit the party since Mr Vijay Bahuguna has been chosen as the Chief Minister of the state.

Mr Bahuguna's name as the new Chief Minister was declared by party leader and Union Health Minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad in the national capital.

Mr Rawat and Mr Bahuguna had also held a two-hour meeting with Mr Azad and Birender Singh just ahead of the decision. The two central leaders had submitted their report on the opinions of the party's 32 MLAs on legislative party leadership.

Mr Azad announced on Monday evening, said, “It was decided by the MLAs and all the party leaders that Vijay Bahuguna will be the chief minister.”

Congress, with 32 seats in a house of 70, had staked claim to form a government in Uttarakhand last week after the results on March 6 threw up a hung assembly.