LUCKNOW, 27 October — In a morale-boosting comment amid predictions of doom, Uttar Pradesh Governor V.K. Shastri yesterday certified that the Mayawati-led coalition government was still in a majority.
Eight independent legislators withdrew support to the five-month-old Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-led government late Friday, throwing the state into a political tizzy. While clarifying that he could recognize only seven signatories to the letter of withdrawal of support from the independents, Shastri told reporters here: “Mayawati continues to enjoy the support of 210 members in the 403-member state assembly.”
The assembly elections in February had thrown up a splintered verdict. In May, Mayawati’s BSP joined forces with the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and smaller groups and independents to rule this state of 166 million people.
Replying to questions, Shastri said: “Under the circumstances there is no need to convene a session of the assembly, as demanded by the rebel independents.”
Asked if he would reconsider his view if more legislators chose to withdraw support to the Mayawati government, Shastri said: “That is a hypothetical question right now.
Chief Minister Mayawati — whose troubles began when she expanded her Cabinet Oct. 11, angering several independent legislators and BJP members by leaving them out — has dismissed fears that the current political instability could topple her government. “There is no threat to my government,” she said. “The Samajwadi Party (the biggest party in the assembly) is power hungry, but they will never succeed in ousting me.”
All eyes are however focused on New Delhi, where Samajwadi Party leaders have been meeting their Congress party counterparts in a bid to form an alternative. Its leaders have reportedly also sought an appointment with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Samajwadi Party’s Amar Singh met Congress veteran Moti Lal Vohra for initial talks that sources said could lead to a crucial meeting between Mulayam and Sonia.
The single largest group in the assembly with 142 seats, the Samajwadi Party of former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav hopes the Congress’ 25 legislators will join hands with it to strengthen its position and try to lure away dissidents in the BJP unhappy at being left out of the government.
Mulayam’s party appears confident of securing the support of several independent legislators if it manages to win over the Congress. The Samajwadi Party is also urging the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) to intervene and persuade the Congress to join forces against the BSP-BJP government. In a sign of desperation in the BJP camp, the party’s Uttar Pradesh president, Vinay Katiyar, warned earlier that the state would see fresh elections if the government collapsed.
Dissident BJP legislators in the state are closely watching opposition efforts to cobble an alternative government before deciding whether to walk out of the Mayawati-led ruling alliance. If the Samajwadi Party’s intensified efforts to woo the Congress bear fruit, the dissidents would become bolder, say sources in the state BJP. Top BJP state leaders, however, insist all is well with the ruling alliance.
