Though some reports attributed the delay to insistence of the seven-member PDP on ministerial berths, Dwivedi said the delay was caused as it took time to hear from Gandhi who was on a tour of Karnataka.
The PDP, sharing power with the Congress in the state, comprises three each BSP and Independent MLAs and one UKD member.
Ever since Vijay Bahuguna quit as Chief Minister, Rawat's appointment as his successor was considered a near-certainty in political circles.
Some other names, including that of senior party leader Indira Hridayesh and member of Bahuguna's Cabinet Pritam Singh, also did the rounds but Rawat had an edge over them in terms of stature.
Earlier, Rawat arrived to a rousing reception by his supporters at the Dehradun railway station in the wee hours.
He headed straight to the residence of party MP Satpal Maharaj to take his blessings and then went to a hotel where a large number of his supporters gathered to garland him amid beating of drums and presentation of Kumaoni folk dances.
Senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni, Janaradhan Dwivedi and Ghulam Nabi Azad attended the CLP meet as central observers.
