Janata Party ready to choose leader and take over Govt

Press, 24 March 1977, Page 7

Janata Party ready to choose leader and take over Govt

IXZPA-Reuter New Delhi The Opposite Janata Party and its electoral allies yesterday prepared to take over the reins of government after breaking the Congress Party’s 30-year grip on power over India.

The most urgent u«k fac "i ing them was to cho° se ®i Prime Minister to succeed! Mrs Indira Gandhi, who r , e ; signed on Tuesday after 11 years in office after a crushing General Election defeat. With 536 of the 542 election results declared, the Janta Partv was only three seats short of an absolute majority of 272. With its allies, it will control about 340 seats in the new Parliament.

The Prime Minister will be formally chosen today, but the matter was probably decided by meetings vesterday between groups and individuals.

The parliamentary party of the Congress, which had ruled India since independence, also met to appoint a leader to follow Mrs Gandhi, who lost her seat.

Mr Desai, a veteran politician who was once Mrs Gandhi’s Deputy Prime Minister, seemed the most obvious choice for Prime Minister since there is no one approaching his stature in the Janata Party itself.

His main rival appeared to be Mr Jagjivan Ram, leader of the new Congress for Democracy, which has won only 28 seats but ensured the rout of the Congress Party by capturing key districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.

The appointment of Mr; Desai would climax a long and distinguished career. In the early 19605, he was regarded as likely to succeed Mrs Gandhi’s father, independent India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Mr Yeshwantrao Chavan, Foreign Mini'ter in Mrs Indira Gandhi’s Government, has been elected leader of the Congress Party in the Indian Parliament. His election ends speculation about who would lead the party in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) after Mrs Gandhi lost in her constituency of Rae Bareli. Mr Chavan, who is 64, was Mrs Gandhi’s Cabinet colleague all the 11 years that she served as the country’s Prime Minister.

He joined the central Government in 1962 when Nehru was the Prime Minister and held several portfolios including Defence. Home, and Finance.

When the Congress Party split in 1969 he, along with former Agriculture Minister, Mr Jagjivan Ram, now a leader of the Opposition whi ‘i has been swept to power. supported Mrs Gandhi.

He was nominated tor leadership by the outgoing Finance Minister (Mr Chidambaram Subramaniam).

Mrs Gandhi herself bowedl

out of the scene — although! she will head a caretaker; Government until today —| with a statement saying shei accepted the election result; unreservedly and in a spirit! of humility. During the election cam-i paign she had savagelv at-

tacked the Opposition’s ability to govern, but she said she would give constructive co-operation to the new I government.