The interregnum of two days between the polling and counting was spent by senior partymen parleying at the residence of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Sheila Dikshit.

The leaders hailing from various party factions are all aiming for a berth in the Delhi Cabinet, where there is scope only for six ministers, excluding the Chief Minister. However, the number of hopeful candidates far exceeds the framework.

There seem to be three criteria for considering any leader for a berth in the cabinet. First, that the leader ``has to be accommodated'' because of his/her seniority and stature in Delhi politics. Second, the leader comes from a section of the population which has to be represented. Third, the leader comes with his own political baggage, like the patronage of the high command.

It is the list of candidates belonging to the last category that is expected to rock the Congress boat. If they are accommodated, it would incite protests from local heavyweights. And if they are not taken into the government fold, they might ``invoke the high command'', as a highly placed source in the party said.

Till date, those in the fray for the ministerial berths are reported to be Subhash Chopra, Narender Nath, S.C. Vats, Mangat Ram Singhal, Deep Chand Bandhu, Prem Singh, Ajay Maken and Mahinder Singh Saathi. Also in the race are Tajdar Babbar and Arvinder Singh Lovely, who are being considered for representation from the Muslim and Sikh communities. Karol Bagh candidates are believed to have strong chances as well.