Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that the new leader of Congress legislative party in Uttarakhand will be chosen in a day or two. He was talking to media persons in Dehradun yesterday after holding consultations with newly elected Congress legislators and independent MLAs who have extended their support to the party in the state.

The Congress's central observer, Mr Azad and Birender Singh elicited the views of the party's MLAs and two independents on the leadership issue and submitted their report to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi last evening.

Leader of the opposition Harak Singh Rawat, Union Minister Harish Rawat, PCC chief Yashpal Arya and senior party leaders Vijaya Bahuguna and Indira Hirdesh are among the contenders for the Chief Minister's post.

What has complicated the Congress' task of choosing the CLP leader is the conflicting choices of the three independents whose support is crucial for the party's formation of the government.

In the 70-member House, Congress has 32 MLAs – four short of majority–and the party needs the support of three Independents and one MLA from UKD(P) to reach the magic figure of 36.