Ranchi, September15
In less than 24 hours after staking claim to form the next government in Jharkhand as an alternative to the NDA, the actual strength of the UPA in support of the first Independent Chief Minister-designate Madhu Koda has come down to 42 against the list of 43 MLAs presented before the Governor on Thursday.
Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibtey Razi has invited Mr Koda to form the next government, asking him to prove his majority on the floor of the House on or before September 25.
The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Monday.
In the 82-member Jharkhand House, 42 members are required to prove majority.
The dramatic turn of events took place today with CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya charging the UPA with “unethically” mentioning his party’s support to the Koda-led government to the Governor without consulting his party.
Talking to the media here, Mr Bhattacharya said the lone CPI(ML) MLA in Jharkhand, Mr Binod
Singh, would maintain equal distance from both the UPA and the NDA as had been his party’s stand earlier.
However, what could perhaps put the UPA top brass on tenterhooks following the stand taken by the CPI(ML) are the views expressed by All-India Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Banerjee.
Talking to The Tribune, Mr Banerjee said the state committee of his party would meet at Dhanbad tomorrow to decide the nature of support to be extended by it to the Koda-led government. “It may either be a conditional outside
support like the Left model at the Centre or direct participation,” he said.The Forward Bloc has one MLA in the House.
While the RJD and the JMM have decided to participate, the Congress is yet to take a final decision.
Congress observer for Jharkhand Noor Banu today held a closed-door meeting with all nine party MLAs to elicit their views whether to support the Koda government from outside or through direct participation.
Sources said that all nine MLAs, including state president P.K.Balmachu, had authorised Ms Sonia Gandhi to take a final decision on by tomorrow.
But this arrangement comes with its own set of problems for the new Chief Minister. By law there can only be 12 ministers and already there is a demand for plum portfolios.
Meanwhile, a day after Mr Arjun Munda resigned as Chief Minister, the BJP today accused RJD supremo Lalu Prasad of playing the lead role in scripting the fall of the NDA government.
BJP national vice-president Sumitra Mahajan alleged that it was because of pending fodder-scam cases in Jharkhand that Lalu Prasad had done so as an NDA government there was against his interests.
