NEW DELHI, 10 September 2003 — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who comfortably won the confidence vote in the state assembly on Monday night was himself surprised to see the margin of victory.

“It was really unexpected. I had expected 240 votes in favor of the government. The figure of 244 is really unexpected,” a beaming Mulayam told reporters after the voting.

He said he would undertake expansion of his ministry “very soon”. On the size and shape of his ministry, he said “it will be before you soon.” Mulayam said his government believed in taking all allies with it as it belonged to 170 million people of the state, adding it would be his endeavor to fulfill aspirations of the masses.

The chief minister asked the press to give him at least six months time before assessing the performance of his government. “I require your cooperation. I will welcome constructive criticism but give me at least six months before evaluating my performance.”

Yadav said his government would not be vindictive against anybody and would try to remove mistrust and bitterness among political rivals.

Earlier, all day long, legislators debated the confidence vote in the Mulayam government. The result was a foregone conclusion with Mulayam winning by a comfortable majority. And helping the Samajwadi Party leader yesterday were a group of independent MLAs, many of whom have criminal records.

The man who tops the list is Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya. He is still charged under POTA and was wheeled into the assembly for the confidence vote from a Lucknow hospital where he was taken from a Kanpur jail last week.

Till a few days ago, Akhilesh Singh was wanted by the UP Police. Yesterday he too joined hands with the ruling coalition. “I helped Mayawati and supported her government. The moment I withdrew I was given the tag of a criminal,” said Akhilesh Singh, a wanted MLA. Another MLA serving a TADA sentence is Mukhtar Ansari, who after pledging his support to Mayawati through a series of letters from jail, was firmly with Mulayam yesterday.

After sailing easily through the test on the floor of the UP Assembly, Mulayam now faces the real test — the expansion of his Cabinet. And Mulayam sent out a subtle message that stability was what the state needed the most. “We will move forward with everybody’s support. This government isn’t just for the SP but for everybody,” Mulayam said.

BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu yesterday said the SP-led government in UP would not be able to survive for long.