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Tiwari to be Uttaranchal CM
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 27
Senior Congress leader N.D. Tiwari will be the next Chief Minister of Uttaranchal.

The announcement was made at the AICC today by Congress general secretaries Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni. They said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had made Mr Tiwari the CLP Leader after consulting senior party leaders in the past two days.

The 36 Congress MLAs had, on February 25, left it to the Congress President to choose the leader of the legislature party.

Mr Tiwari, who was present at the AICC today, along with Mr Satpal Maharaj, one of the contenders for the top job in the state, said he would strive to remove the “weaknesses” in the state administration. A visibly happy Mr Tiwari, who had all along maintained that he was not interested in becoming the Chief Minister of the new state, said he had been entrusted the job by Ms Sonia Gandhi.

A four-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr Tiwari takes charge of Uttaranchal at a time when the Congress in the state is virtually split into two camps. While PCC chief Harish Rawat, whose name was doing the rounds as front runner for the top job in the state, was not present by the side of Mr Tiwari when announcement was made about the new Chief Minister, he later said the decision of the high command was acceptable to him.

The supporters of Mr Tiwari broke into a rapturous dance after learning about his being made the Chief Minister. Supporters of Mr Rawat, however, were dejected. They said the high command had not recognised the hard work done by Mr Rawat in the creation of Uttaranchal and in strengthening the Congress in the new state. “The decision will weaken the Congress in Uttranchal,” said Mr Anand Singh Panwar, general secretary of Uttarkashi unit of the party.

Supporters of Mr Rawat even threatened to launch an agitation against the decision of the Congress high command. 

SPF stakes claim to form govt in Manipur

Imphal, February 27
The Secular Progressive Front (SPF) and Congress Legislature Party leader Okram Ibobi Singh today called on Governor Ved Marwah and staked claim to form the government in Manipur, SPF sources said.

Raj Bhavan sources confirmed Mr Okram Singh’s meeting with the Governor but refused to divulge details. PTI

Goa Assembly dissolved

Panaji, February 27
In a surprise development, the Goa Assembly was dissolved today with more than a year left for the expiry of its term, in a gamble by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar after the good showing by the BJP in the recent panchayat elections.

Parrikar, who became Chief Minister in October, 2000, with the help of defectors from the rebel Congress then headed by former Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha as well as those from the MGP, denied reports that some BJP MLAs were planning to leave his party. PTI