The Hindu : Opposition sniff a chance to humble U.P. Govt.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 16, 2003

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Other States - Uttar Pradesh

Opposition sniff a chance to humble U.P. Govt.

LUCKNOW JULY 15. Though the opposition in Uttar Pradesh still stands in a shambles, it is expected to get at least one opportunity next month to frustrate the Mayawati Government.

Announcement of the poll schedule for by-elections to the lone State Legislative Council seat from the assembly constituency expected this week by the Election Commission would pave way for another trial-of-strength in the Vidhan Sabha.

State Vidhan Sabha sources said here today that the EC had already notified the council seat vacated by the BJP's Ram Prakash Gupta after he was nominated the Governor of Madhya Pradesh.

``The election dates would be announced probably this week after the EC takes approval of the appointment of Vidhan Sabha principal secretary R.P. Pandey as the returning officer of the by-elections,'' the sources said.

The by-elections are expected to be held in the first week of August.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties have started gearing themselves to face the BSP-BJP led coalition in the State before the much awaited Budget Session of the Assembly slated for the last week of August.

However, bickering in the opposition parties have surfaced following the Rashtriya Kranti Party's stand that the Congress' precondition of Sonia Gandhi being projected as the combined opposition's leader could not be accepted.

This would also be the first time the government would face the opposition after withdrawal of support by the Rashtriya Lok Dal of former Union Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh.

An opposition leader of the Congress, on condition of anonymity, said that the parties demanding resignation of Ms. Mayawati after withdrawal of RLD's support, have already started their initiatives in the direction and the preliminary round of talks were complete.

The leader, however, said the main problem of the opposition would be to select a candidate for by-elections to the council seat, the term of which would expire in 2006.

``Both the Samajwadi Party and Congress were trying to prevail upon each other for the seat,'' he added. The by-polls would also decide the authenticity of the repeated opposition charge that the Mayawati-led coalition government had been reduced to a minority. The opposition parties have already submitted several memoranda to Governor Vishnu Kanti Shastri demanding that he convene a session of the Assembly and ask the government to seek a fresh trial of strength.

A Congress party leader maintained that during a similar situation in November last year, the ruling coalition candidate of the RLD defeated the joint opposition candidate Yashwant Singh by over 15 votes. ``The situation would be different now as Congress which had boycotted the by-elections then, would join hands with the opposition candidate this time,'' the Congress leader claimed.

UNI

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Opposition sniff a chance to humble U.P. Govt.