The Hindu : Samajwadi Party stakes claim to form Govt. in U.P.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 02, 2002

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Samajwadi Party stakes claim to form Govt. in U.P.

By J. P. Shukla

A Samajwadi Party delegation submitting a memorandum to the Uttar Pradesh Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, demanding the dismissal of the Mayawati Government, in Lucknow on Friday. — Photo: Subir Roy

Lucknow Nov. 1. The Samajwadi Party today demanded the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government led by Mayawati on the ground that she had lost majority in the State Assembly. The party simultaneously staked its claim to form an alternative government, asserting that it had the support of 204 MLAs in the 403-member House.

The legislators of the Samajwadi Party, led by the party general secretary, Amar Singh, drove to the Raj Bhavan around noon and called on the Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri. They told the Governor that after the 12 BJP MLAs expressed their lack of confidence in the Mayawati Government on Thursday, she ceased to enjoy the support of a majority in the Assembly. The Samajwadi Party claimed that it had the support of 204 legislators, including that of 142 of its own MLAs, 11 independents and 37 Bharatiya Janata Party rebels. Besides, legislators belonging to the Apna Dal (3), the Rashtriya Kranti Party (4), the CPI-M (2), the National Loktantrik Party (1), the Samajwadi Janata Party (1), the Janata Party (1), the Rashtriya Parivartan Dal (1) and one unattached member had also extended their support.

Emerging from the Raj Bhavan, Mr. Singh told presspersons that the names of the Congress MLAs had not been included in the list of supporters. He, however, added that getting the Congress to support the Samajwadi Party would be no problem. Mr. Singh hoped that the Governor would act in an impartial manner and accept his claim to dismiss Ms. Mayawati. He recalled that in a similar situation in the past, his party government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav was dismissed without having been allowed to prove its majority on the floor of the Assembly. Ms. Mayawati's dismissal, would, therefore, be equally logical.

He objected to threats that the Assembly could be dissolved, necessitating fresh elections in the event of the fall of the Mayawati Government. Ms. Mayawati had lost her majority and could not recommend dissolution of the Assembly.

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