Having made up its mind to replace the chief minister, Congress is sending three central observers to Dehradun to elicit the views of legislators.
Sources said Union minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, AICC general secretaries Ambika Soni and Janardan Dwivedi have been asked to clinch the ritual of the legislature party meeting.
While state minister Pritam Singh, a tribal, is also in the fray, it is unlikely that he would make the cut in the present circumstances. The party is looking to appease the Thakur community that is the single largest group in the state besides also seeking to woo the people of Kumaon region.
Rawat was denied the top post after the 2012 elections when Congress posted a one-seat win over BJP. Then a Union minister of state, Rawat was seen as having fielded rebel candidates in the elections and the leadership was cut up with him. There were some non-political factors too that swung the issue in favour of Bahuguna.
But the state has become a major cause of concern for Congress since. The party's political fortunes have dipped drastically in the last two years. With Lok Sabha polls coming, Congress wants to salvage as much as it can, having swept all five seats in 2009.
A change of CM is sought to convey a sense of purpose in the functioning of the government and win over the people just ahead of Lok Sabha polls. But coming so close to elections, the efficacy of the gambit remains in doubt.
The decision to eject Bahuguna was taken in September but the transition was delayed because of doubts that a change of guard would also destabilize the coalition government.
Congress is also likely to name the new chief of the state unit, with Yashpal Arya having resigned some time ago. Leaders like Nav Prabhat, Kishore Upadhyaya and Prakash Joshi are said to be in the running to lead the organization.
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