LUCKNOW/ NEW DELHI, 2 November — The Samajwadi Party of former Defense Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav yesterday staked a claim to form a government in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, asserting majority support in the 403-seat assembly after a political crisis left the ruling coalition tottering.
A group of Samajwadi Party leaders led by General Secretary Amar Singh met Governor V.K. Shastri and urged him to dismiss the government of Chief Minister Mayawati, saying she had lost the confidence of the house.
The dramatic claim, which capped a fortnight of dissidence in the ruling coalition, came two days before the government of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) completes six months in office.
The already charged political atmosphere in this state capital took a new turn when Amar Singh led the Samajwadi Party’s 142 legislators to the governor. “We have the support of 204 members in the state assembly,” said Azam Khan, who heads the Samajwadi Party in the state legislature.
“Apart from being the largest single party, we have the support of our allies, independents as well as 37 BJP legislators who have expressed their willingness to join us.” Asked if he had submitted a list of the 204 to the governor, Khan shot back: “
There is no need for that right now. We will do so when the need arises. “The governor must dismiss the government which has been reduced to a minority. We will prove our majority on the floor of the house.” The governor refused to talk to reporters. “He is in consultation with constitutional experts, so he is not in a position to say anything,” his spokesman said.
Yesterday’s developments came a day after 12 BJP legislators stunned the party by marching off to the governor here and expressing their lack of confidence in the government led by Mayawati. They urged him to convene the assembly for a trial of strength. The rebellion by the 12 reportedly brought down the number of legislators supporting the state government to 198 in the assembly of 403.
The BJP legislators acted soon after the party leadership decided to suspend rebel leader K.K. Singh for dissidence. The action was taken after day-long deliberations by state BJP leaders with party chief Kushabhau Thakre. “
We called on Governor V.K. Shastri and handed over a memorandum expressing our lack of confidence in the Mayawati-led coalition government,” Singh told reporters here. “We urged the governor to convene a session of the state assembly where the chief minister would be asked to prove her majority.”
He said: “According to the governor’s own version, following last week’s withdrawal of support by seven independent legislators, the strength of the coalition stood reduced to 210 in the 403-member state assembly. “With the latest development, the government has automatically come into a minority, with just 198 members.”
The move rattled Mayawati and the BJP, which had tied up with BSP to form a coalition despite being routed in state assembly elections in February in which it finished third after the Samajwadi Party and BSP.
Uttar Pradesh BJP President Vinay Katiyar challenged the Samajwadi Party’s claim that it enjoyed majority support.
He also denied that anyone from the BJP was willing to back the Samajwadi Party.
While Katiyar confidently asserted that the Samajwadi Party would never be able to form an alternate government in the state, other BJP leaders asserted the fall of Mayawati would lead to fresh elections in the state of 166 million. A loss of power in Uttar Pradesh will be a major loss of face to the BJP, more so because the development comes ahead of assembly elections in Gujarat, where the BJP faces a stiff challenge from the Congress party.
