Rahul takes audio poll, seeks Congress workers' choice on CM candidates

Amid hectic deliberations and lobbying for selection of chief ministers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday that the party was taking inputs from MLAs and workers and the names will be declared soon.

Gandhi held hectic deliberations with Congress workers earlier at his residence ahead of selecting the party's chief ministers for the three states.

"You will see chief ministers soon. We are taking inputs from MLAs, party workers and others," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, the potential chief minister candidates in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh arrived in the city Thursday for a meeting with the Congress president who will take a final call on the top post in the states.

While Kamal Nath is considered top contender for the post in Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Gehlot leads the race in Rajasthan, but Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot is not giving up his claim and is putting up stiff resistance.

The contenders for the top post in Rajasthan -- Gehlot and Pilot -- and in Madhya Pradesh -- Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia -- arrived early morning in the national capital.

The Congress president will first meet party observers A K Antony for Madhya Pradesh and K C Venugopal for Rajasthan before meeting those in the race.

The observers had already held discussions with the newly-elected party MLAs in Jaipur and Bhopal Wednesday and would give their inputs to Gandhi on who the legislators want to be as their chief ministers.

Over the last 24 hours, an audio message from Gandhi has gone to 7.3 lakh party workers across the three states in which they have been asked to name their chief ministerial choice.

In the audio message, he is heard congratulating the leaders for the party's victory in the assembly elections in the three heartland states.

"Now I want to ask you a vital question: Who should be the chief minister? Please mention just one name. I'm the only person who would know whom you are naming. No one in the party will know. Please speak after the beep".