Date:06/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/06/stories/2008120658720100.htm

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Ashok Chavan to be Chief Minister

K.V. Prasad

Narayan Rane puts up stiff resistance, attacks party leaders in the State

Ashok Chavan

NEW DELHI: Ashok Chavan, Industry Minister in the outgoing government, will be the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A.K. Antony on Friday announced the name of Mr. Chavan, son of the former Union Home Minister and former State Chief Minister, S.B. Chavan, as the successor to Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The formal declaration ended the uncertainty in the State following the resignation of Mr. Deshmukh, the third political leader in the country to have stepped down in the wake of the November 26 terror strikes in Mumbai.

Both Mr. Mukherjee and Mr. Antony, who obtained the views of 97 party legislators in Mumbai on Thursday, returned to the capital to brief Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was authorised by the Congress Legislature Party to take a decision.

Mr. Antony and Mr. Mukherjee held two rounds of meeting with Ms. Gandhi on Friday. It is understood that a formal announcement was delayed on account of the stiff resistance put up by the former Chief Minister, Narayan Rane, who joined the Congress from the Shiv Sena a few years ago.

Mr. Rane attacked the party leaders in the State, making it known that he was not willing to work under Mr. Chavan and expressing doubts about his ability to govern the State.

Although the party made no categorical comment, responding to a question whether Mr. Rane’s outburst violated party discipline, spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said if “he has spoken what you have said it is a case for disciplinary action.”

“Restoring confidence, our priority”

Meena Menon reports from Mumbai:

Mr. Chavan told supporters at his residence here that his first priority would be to restore some measure of confidence in the people. “It’s a challenge for me and a great responsibility to win the confidence of the people.” He said there was no need for a celebration and the most important thing was to work together to fight terrorism. The government must take strong action to prevent terror attacks in the future, and intelligence networks must be strengthened.

Mr. Chavan denied that MLAs were pressured to support him on Thursday and refused to comment on the outburst of Narayan Rane, in preference to whom he was chosen Chief Minister. He said the common man was not really keen on knowing who the Chief Minister was. All that people wanted was good governance.

Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, who has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, said his immediate priority would be to reassure people, in the wake of the terror attacks which caused fear and insecurity. It is a Congress-NCP coalition in the State.

Mr. Bhujbal said red tape must not come in the way of modernising the police and making sure they were up to date.

Mr. Bhujbal, a mechanical engineer and MLA from Yeola in Nashik district, was in charge of the Public Works Department in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s Cabinet. He is better known nationally as a leader of the Other Backward Classes. He has formed the Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad and drawn massive crowds at rallies held in all parts of the country. He has already been a Deputy Chief Minister as well as Home Minister.