Chavan, Hooda set to retain jobs

NEW DELHI: Congress is likely to stick with incumbents Ashok Chavan and Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Maharashtra and Haryana respectively for the chief minister���s post.

The Congress high command appears to have communicated its intention not to disturb the existing arrangements in the states to its leadership down the line. An indication of this was given by Union heavy industries minister and aspirant for the CM���s post, Vilasrao Deshmukh. The leader, who met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday, said after emerging from the meeting that he is not in the race.

���No question of it. I am a minister at the Centre,��� Mr Deshmukh said when asked to comment on the reports that he was also staking his claim for Maharashtra CM���s post.

Top sources in Congress indicated that the decision to continue with the incumbent leaders had already been taken. Central observers attending the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting ��� the Haryana meeting was held on Friday evening and the one in Maharashtra is scheduled for Saturday afternoon ��� would convey the feedback from party MLAs to the Congress high command.

The CLP meetings would pass one-line resolutions authorising Ms Gandhi to choose the leader, sources said. The whole process would be complete by Saturday night, they added.

The party on Friday appointed A K Antony, Digvijay Singh and K Rehman Khan as the observers for Maharashtra and Prithviraj Chavan, Mohsina Kidwai and B K Hariprasad for Haryana.

While the decision in Maharashtra appeared clear-cut, murmurs of dissent from Mr Hooda���s detractors, such as Union minister Kumari Shelja and state minister Kiran Choudhary, fuelled speculation about a possible change of guard. However, the Congress high command is unlikely to name a replacement for the influential Jat leader, especially after the losing a section of Jat votes to the Om Prakash Chautala���s INLD.

The central observers met Haryana MPs as well as MLAs on Friday evening. Another round of meetings are expected in the Capital on Saturday.

The other factors that have bolstered Mr Hooda���s chances, despite the unexpected losses for the party in the polls, are his equation with 10, Janpath as well the support of the majority of the newly elected MLAs. Moreover, Mr Hooda has been instrumental in getting the numbers for the Congress to make up the shortfall in reaching the halfway mark in the 90-member Assembly.

The Congress, which could muster only 40 seats, needs six more to claim majority. As of now, the party has the backing all seven independents as well as one BSP MLA. The independents are a motley group of Congress rebels and others.

The Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Phool Chand Mullana, who lost the election, met governor Jagannath Pahadia with a letter of support from the independents at noon-time on Thursday. Later in the day, Mr Hooda also met the governor.

In Maharashtra, the Congress��� increased tally has meant an upper hand in negotiations with the NCP over portfolio allocation. Sources indicated that the Congress would want to keep the plum ministerial berths for itself, including the home portfolio which was with the NCP in the last term.