BJP -MGP FORMS GOVERMENT IN GOA
Panaji: Technocrat-turned-politician Manohar Parrikar is all set to become the chief minister of Goa for the third time after the BJP-MGP combine lapped up 24 seats to rule the 40-member House.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislative wing today unanimously elected Parrikar as its leader; the decision was also backed by its alliance partner Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).
The combine which won 24 seats -BJP (21) and MGP (3) -will now stake claim to form the government before Goa Governor K Sankarnarayanan.
The ruling Congress was relegated to 9 while its alliance partner NCP drew a blank in the March 3 Assembly polls, counting for which was held yesterday.
The BJP-MGP alliance has claimed to have support of 26 legislators, including two independents -Benjamin Silva (Velim) and Avertano Furtado (Navelim).
Senior BJP leaders Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad are overseeing the process of government formation.
BJP legislature wing which met at a city hotel here first time since the results were out passed a joint resolution electing Mr Parrikar as their leader.
"The decision was unanimous. Mr Parrikar's name was suggested and everyone accepted it," a senior BJP leader said.
Mr Parrikar got the first taste of power in the state in 2000 when he was elected the Chief Minister, becoming the first IITian to head a state government. However, the stint was shortlived in the state known for its fragile politics and he had to demit office in early 2002.
Mr Parrikar returned to power a few months later but had to quit in 2005 after a few MLAs withdrew support to him.
The state was put under President's Rule after his exit in March 2005.
AKILESH Yadavs meet Governor amid surging demand for Akhilesh as chief minister
Lucknow: Amid furious debate over which of them will take over as chief minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son, Akhilesh, met with Uttar Pradesh's Governor BN Joshi this evening. They staked their claim to form the new government - with 224 of the state's 403 seats, they need no partners or support.
Akhilesh, who turned UP into a field of dreams for his Samajwadi Party, reiterated today that "netaji" as his father is referred to, will be chief minister. But within the party, there is a surging demand for the 39-year-old to be the head of the government. A decision will be shared after Holi, most likely on March 10, said party sources today. The new chief minister will be sworn in most likely on Monday.
One of the Samajwadi Party's senior-most leaders, Azam Khan, who is also the party's Muslim face, has not openly endorsed Akhilesh as chief minister. Sources say Mulayam will use the next three days to win consensus, crucial for conveying that the party believes in democracy on internal matters.
"A majority of MLAs are in favour of making Akhilesh the next CM. At the meeting of legislators, they will put in their views on the issue," party national General Secretary Naresh Agarwal told PTI.
Among the challenges for the new government will be fighting the Samajwadi Party's reputation for shielding criminals within and outside its ranks. At today's meeting, leaders said party members will be barred from recommending postings or transfers of bureaucrats; all assignments will be based on merit. In UP, politicians regularly reward or punish officials through arbitrary job placement. The party has also said it will make it clear that no goonda-giri or hooliganism will be tolerated. That assertion comes after party workers assaulted reporters in Jhansi yesterday to stop them from questioning a candidate, who was losing his election. The reporters spent six hours locked in a room, as Samajwadi workers waited outside, with threats of more violence. The police refused to intervene. It took a message from Akhilesh Yadav to end the hostage crisis.
Whether his unquestioned leadership of his party will make him the Chief Minister will be decided after three days, said Samajwadi leaders. Through yesterday, the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh insisted that his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, 72, will head the government. This term will be his fourth in office. Privately, though, the party continues to debate whether it's 39-year-old Akhilesh who should head the government. It was his energy and raw appeal among the youth of the state that helped script the party's success story. Seen riding his party symbol, the cycle, wearing a red cap, he was very much the face of the campaign.
Many believe that those who voted for the Samajwadi Party voted for him; and that there will be anger and disappointment if he does not lead the state. The spectacular victory of the Samajwadi Party yesterday means that its leaders will now look at the general elections of 2014 with renewed vigour and interest. That means Mulayam may need to focus on strategy and the bigger picture. If his son runs the state, some say, he will be free to work on those plans.
But older factions within the party believe Akhilesh may be too young to handle a state that is riddled with complex caste equations, and has much to overcome - crime, poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and ubiquitous corruption. Akhilesh said yesterday that his father's experience, political wisdom and statesmanship was what UP needed at this hour. Akhilesh, say some Samjawadi sources, will also need to emulate his father's effective management style of the party cadres.
As the Congress, who placed a dismal fourth in the election has learnt, grassroots workers can swing a party's fortunes.
The Trinamool Congress won seven seats followed by the Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) with four seats. The Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) had won four seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party managed just a solitary seat.
There was jubilation in Congress camps across the state after Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh retained his Thoubal seat, defeating his rival from the BJP Indira Oinam by a huge margin of over 15,000 votes.
Following suit, Ibobi Singh's wife Landhoni Devi also won the Khangabok seat by defeating rival Jatra Singh of Manipur People's Party (MPP) by a huge margin of over 9,000 votes. Khangabok was the constituency of the Chief Minister earlier.
Opposition parties received a severe jolt after three leaders, Radhabinod Koijam of the NCP, O Joy Singh and Th Chaoba Singh of MPP, lost to their rivals. Koijam, who is the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing Manipur assembly, is a former chief minister. Koijam was instrumental for bringing the 11 non-congress parties under one anti-Congress alliance - Peoples' Democratic Alliance (PDA).
Congress wins hattrick term in Manipur
Okram Ibobi Singh will be the second Chief Minister in the northeast to make it to the top seat for the third consecutive time in recent times after Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.
While the Gogoi brought the party to power in Assam in 2001, 2006 and 2011, Ibobi Singh had single-handedly brought the Congress to power in Manipur in 2002 and in 2007.
In Manipur, the Congress had a tough battle this time as at least 11 non-Congress parties have formed an alliance to stop the Congress from coming to power. The non-Congress parties included the NCP, Manipur People's Party (MPP), CPI, CPI-M, JD-U, National People's Party (NPP), Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP), Trinamool Congress, Lok Jana Shakti Party, BJP and the Naga People's Front (NPF).
What had made it worse for the Congress is the fact that at least seven militant outfits had imposed a ban on the party. The militants also attacked several Congress candidates and supporters ahead of the Jan 28 polls.
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