* Instability looms large with the NCP deciding to break alliance with BJP-Shiv Sena
By Kartik Lokhande
Political
instability and possibility of change in power-composition loom large
in at least five Zilla Parishad (ZP) in Vidarbha, as Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) has decided to part ways with Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena wherever it had trucked with these parties.
Wherever possible, NCP and Congress are exploring possibilities of
coming together and oust BJP-Sena from power.
A decision to this effect was taken in the meeting of Coordination
Committee of Congress and NCP in Mumbai. “Congress and NCP both have
decided to restore confidence in each other. Next two months will see
the process of parting ways with BJP-Sena across the State,” NCP
spokesperson Nawab Malik told ‘The Hitavada’. According to him, wherever
possible, Congress and NCP would come together and muster enough
numbers to oust BJP-Sena from power. While doing so, neither Congress
nor NCP would take help of parties except each other, he said. This is
being done as a measure to boost confidence in each other ahead of
Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year, added
Malik.
The decision will impact at least five Zilla Parishads in Vidarbha
region where NCP is sharing power with BJP-Shiv Sena and others. In
Nagpur and Chandrapur, as a result of sharing power with BJP-Sena, NCP
has got the post of Vice-President. In Gadchiroli, Yavatmal, and
Amravati, NCP has got the post of ZP President.
As far as Nagpur is concerned, BJP-Sena together have a strength of 30
in the house of 59. As a result, even if NCP pulls out, it would not
affect the political equation much. However, it may cause some trouble
for time being. While ZP chief Sandhya Gotmare (BJP) was least bothered
by the latest political development, Vice-President Chandrashekhar
Chikhale (NCP) said that any decision taken by NCP seniors would be
acceptable to him. “If NCP pulls out, it would lose the posts of
Vice-President and Chairperson of Education Committee. It was BJP that
had sacrificed these two posts for NCP despite being the single largest
party with 22 members in the house of 59,” Gotmare told ‘The Hitavada’.
Still, she added, decision was to be taken by senior leaders of BJP and
NCP.
Already, situation is disturbed in Yavatmal ZP. In the house of 62,
NCP and Shiv Sena have formed an alliance with support from BJP and
others. NCP’s Pravin Deshmukh is President while NCP’s Yayati Naik is
Vice-President. Shiv Sena had got two posts of committee chairpersons.
Sena had asked Manmohan Singh and Prabhakar Uikey to quit the posts of
committee chairpersons after certain time, but both rebelled. Since
then, political instability prevails in Yavatmal ZP.
NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena, and MLA Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar organisation are
sharing power with a thin majority in Amravati ZP. NCP’s Sunita Thakre
is ZP President while BJP’s Jaiprakash Patel is Vice-President. In the
house of 59, the ruling alliance has strength of 28 only while Congress
has got 25 members. Others account for six, but they did not support
either the ruling side or the Congress. If Congress and NCP come
together, they will have a strength of 32, which will be a clear
majority in the house of 59.
In the 57-member Chandrapur ZP, NCP is sharing power with BJP,
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Yuva Shakti, and Shetkari Sanghatana. The
ruling alliance has a strength of 35. If NCP withdraws, the ruling
alliance will be reduced to 28 while Congress (21) and NCP (07) together
will have 28 members on their side. This may result in a tie between
Congress-NCP and BJP-Sena-Yuva Shakti-Shetkari Sanghatana-MNS. The key
to power will be held by lone member of Bahujan Samaj Party or switching
over of sides by Shetkari Sanghatana or MNS members. Currently, BJP’s
Santosh Kumre is ZP chief while NCP’s Sandeep Gaddamwar is
Vice-President.
In Gadchiroli ZP, which has 51 members, NCP is sharing power with
BJP and Yuva Shakti. NCP’s Bhagyashree Atram, who is daughter of former
minister Dharmaraobaba Atram, is President of ZP while BJP’s Dr Tamdeo
Dudhbale is Vice-President. Yuva Shakti’s Niranjani Chandel and Chhaya
Kumbhare are committee chairpersons. If NCP pulls out, it will lose the
post of ZP chief. But, if Congress and NCP come together, they will have
a strength of 23, which will still be inadequate to come to power
without support of others. BJP, Shiv Sena, and Yuva Shakti also will
have a strength of only 16. Thus, the situation there will be
politically uncertain.
(With inputs from Chandrapur, Yavatmal, Amravati, and Gadchiroli correspondents)
Party-wise strength in ‘those’ five ZPs
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Party ZP-wise strength
Nagpur Yavatmal Amravati Gadchiroli Chandrapur
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Congress 19 23 25 13 21
BJP 22 04 08 07 18
Shiv Sena 08 12 08 02 02
NCP 07 21 07 10 07
BSP 01 -- 02 -- 01
GGP 01 -- -- -- --
RPI 01 -- 01 -- --
NVAS -- -- -- 05 --
AVS -- -- -- 03 --
Yuva Shakti -- -- -- 07 05
CPI -- -- -- 01 --
MNS -- 01 -- -- 01
VJP -- -- 02 -- --
Prahar -- -- 05 -- --
Shetkari Sanghatana -- -- -- -- 02
Independent -- 01 01 03 --
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 59 62 59 51 57
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(GGP - Gondwana Gantantra Party, NVAS - Nag Vidarbha Andolan Samiti, AVS
- Adivasi Vidyarthi Sangh, VJP - Vidarbha Jansangram Party)
(Published in The Hitavada CityLine on August 23, 2013)
Comments
Post a Comment