Vijay Bahuguna meets Rahul Gandhi, may return tomorrow

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Friday continued his talks for the third day with senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, in New Delhi to resolve various issues confronting his government.

"The meeting between Rahul Gandhi and Vijay Bahuguna was very positive and the two leaders discussed issues related to Uttarakhand," said a senior Congress leader, who refused to divulge details. Bahuguna is expected to return tomorrow morning, Congress sources said.

Significantly, Bahuguna also met Union Minister Harish Rawat yesterday with top Congress leaders here claiming that most of the issues have been resolved. "The meeting between Harish Rawat and Vijay Bahuguna in New Delhi was very constructive and most of the issues have been resolved," they claimed.

Rawat and Bahuguna have agreed that the responsibility of PCC chief would be taken away from Yashpal Arya, who has been given a cabinet berth. The two leaders also agreed to give posts of the heads of government corporations and other bodies to accommodate each others supporters, including all those MLAs who have not got any ministerial berth, Congress sources said.

Bahuguna also discussed the issues related to distribution of portfolios to cabinet ministers with Rawat.

The chief minister, who had left for New Delhi on Wednesday, is expected to distribute the portfolios shortly with most of the new cabinet ministers eyeing plum departments like PWD, industry, power, tourism, irrigation, excise and forest.

Bahuguna's first task would be to nominate a new speaker of the house where Congress is banking on support of 7 non-BJP MLAs. The election of the speaker will be held on March 26, a day before the first session of the newly constituted assembly begins. And before that all the 11 Congress MLAs should also take oath.

Protem speaker Shailendra Mohan Singhal said he would sit in his chamber to administer oath to the MLAs on Mar 25 when the nomination for the post of speaker would be held.

After the election of speaker, Bahuguna will have to face the crucial trust vote in the floor of the house.

Bahuguna would also discuss the issue related to another rebel leader Harak Singh Rawat, who is understood to have struck a deal with the high command for getting a cabinet berth.

Congress is yet to decide whether Harak Singh Rawat, who was the leader of the opposition in the previous assembly, would be given the post of deputy CM. In this regard, the date of the swearing-in ceremony of Rawat as the 11th cabinet minister has not been decided.