LUCKNOW, 22 February 2007 — A major regional party in India’s largest state withdrew support for the Congress party-led federal government yesterday as part of a battle for advantage in upcoming local polls.
The Samajwadi Party, which holds power in Uttar Pradesh, said its 38 members of the lower house of federal Parliament would no longer support the federal coalition from outside in confidence votes. They said the move came after the Congress party recommended the president dissolve the state government for lack of a majority.
“I know you (party leaders) all will agree with my decision that there is no use to continue to support the government,” party head and state Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav told party members in the state capital Lucknow.
While the Congress-led coalition has at least 11 more seats than the 272 needed for a majority in Parliament, it depends on outside support by a bloc of communist parties that oppose the move ahead of polls in the northern state expected in May.
But the Congress feels compelled to pressure the socialist Samajwadi Party because Uttar Pradesh is key to winning federal power and the majority of India’s prime ministers have hailed from the state, analysts say.
“If you look ahead, Congress is going into a major confrontation mode. It will have consequences and may be a watershed in relations between Congress and the left (communist) parties,” said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.
The Congress called for the president to sack the Uttar Pradesh government as a minority after the Supreme Court this month dismissed 13 state lawmakers for defecting.
