Mah Governor asks Congress/NCP to respect people's mandate

Maharashtra Governor S C Jamir has sought the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance to honour the mandate of the people and form the government without any further delay.

Mr Jamir told a delegation of leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena that he was already seized with the problem of delay caused in the formation of the government and was ''very anxious to have an elected government installed as early as possible.'' Mr Jamir, who met Chief Minsiter Ashok Chavan and NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal and R R Patil separately yesterday, informed the delegation from the Saffron alliance that since the electorate of Maharashtra had given the Congress-NCP alliance a fresh mandate, it was their responsibility to respect the mandate and form a government without any further delay.

Talks between the Congress and the NCP both on the strength of the respective parties in the new government and also on sharing of portfolios have not yielded any result so far. While the Congress which has won 82 seats in the October 13 elections is keen to have a highest share in the ministry, the NCP, finishing a poor second with 62 seats, is keen to revive the 1999 formula of sharing the berths equally. The two parties are also haggling for some of the key portfolios such as Home, Finance, Power and Rural Development. Leader of the BJP in the Legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse and Shiv Sena Leader Subhash Desai who called upon the Governor urged him to recommend the President's rule in the state in the event of the Congress-NCP alliance failed to form the government within the next 24 hours.

They said the caretaker government of Chief Minister Ashok Chavan should not be allowed to function for an indefinite period. The delegation further pointed out that a large number of issues such as malnutrition in tribal areas, declaration of fair price to the agricultural produce, deterioration of law and order in the state were awaiting urgent attention from the Government.

-- (UNI) -- 04BY4.xml

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