The Congress has finally broken the deadlock over the next chief minister of Uttarakhand by choosing its MP Vijay Bahuguna, son of late leader Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. However, the decision has caused rift among the party members.
Harish Rawat, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs, has reportedly sent his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after Bahuguna had been named as the next chief minister. It is reported that he has also written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, expressing his preference to work as a party worker.
Rawat, who was seen as a potential candidate for the chief ministerial post, seems to be disappointed, as his claim has been sidelined twice. N D Tiwari was chosen over him as the chief minister 10 years ago.
The Congress legislators close to Harish Rawat, who represents Hardwar constituency in the Lok Sabha and was Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee President from 2000 to 2002, protested the decision of the party's high command.
