The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, February 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

Jaya’s swearing-in on March 2
A. Balu

Chennai, February 25
Ms J. Jayalalithaa will be back at the helm of the Tamil Nadu Government on March 2, when she will be sworn in as Chief Minister along with her new Cabinet.

The AIADMK chief, who was unanimously elected as leader of the ruling party in the state Assembly yesterday, following her sweeping victory in the Andipatti byelection, was invited by the Governor, Mr P.S. Rammohan Rao, last night, to form her ministry “at the earliest”.

Her swearing-in, scheduled for 9.50 a.m. on March 2 at Madras University Centenary Hall, will mark the end of a five-month-old proxy government headed by her nominee, Mr O. Panneerselvam, and the resumption of the Jayalalithaa regime that was cut short in September last year as a result of a Supreme Court ruling.

A petition filed by the Janata Party President, Dr Subramanian Swamy, challenging the Madras High Court decision acquitting her in the TANSI land deal case, is pending in the Supreme Court, but Ms Jayalalithaa, apparently confident that she would win the legal battles, has decided to take charge of the state’s affairs at the earliest. Asked about pending cases against her, Ms Jayalalithaa told reporters yesterday: “Whatever comes, I will face.”

The delay in the swearing-in is being attributed by AIADMK party sources to Ms Jayalalithaa’s desire to choose an auspicious day for the important event. But a leading Naadi (ancient palm leaves) astrologer, Mr A.S. Nataraja Sarma, expressed surprise that she had chosen March 2 which was inauspicious as far as the day’s “yoga” was concerned. The day’s yoga is categorised in the almanac as “marana” (mrityu) yoga.

Maybe, Ms Jayalalithaa has chosen the day thinking that her lucky number is “9”. March 2 in the Tamil calendar is 18 in the month of “Maasi”.

In an interview to the Tamil satellite channel Jaya TV, the AIADMK leader said her “dream and life ambition” was to make her party a national party.

Manipur heads for hung House

Supporters of the Manipur Peoples' Party celebrating the victory of their party chief O. Joy Singh after he won the Langthabal assembly seat in Imphal on Monday. — PTI Photo

Imphal, February 25
Manipur today appeared heading for a hung assembly as no party is likely to get a simple majority in the 60-member state Assembly with the Congress emerging so far as the single largest party winning 13 seats.

Election office sources said here that of the 50 results declared so far, the Federal Party of Manipur secured 12 seats followed by Manipur State Congress Party six.

The CPI, which drew a blank in the February, 2000 elections, saw five of its candidates winning this time. UNI