U'Khand row: Rawat holds consultations with supporters

Indicating that the leadership feud in Uttarakhand Congress was far from over, Union minister Harish Rawat on Wednesday held consultations with his supporters while making it clear he would not quit the party.

"I have always been loyal to the party. I have confidence in justice in the party. I have been in the party for the past 40 years and I never went outside," he told reporters at his residence in New Delhi.

"I would have been satisfied if they (Congress High Command) had told me that I was not being considered (for chief ministership)," he said.

Sources close to Rawat said the number of members of Legislative Assembly supporting him has now risen to 19 from 16 and more are likely to join his camp. While the Congress won 32 seats in the 70-member Assembly in the polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party has got 31 members.

At his residence, arrangements are being made to accomodate more supporters who are flocking from various parts of Uttarakhand.

Rawat was closeted today with a sizeable number of Congress MLAs supporting him and was strategising the next course of action, the sources said.