State Congress Party reunites to form govt

Press, 8 March 1978, Page 8

State Congress Party reunites to form govt

NZPA-Reuter Bombay; The Governor of Maharashtra state in India has appointed the official Congress Party Leader, Vasantrao Patil, as the state’s Chief Minister, clearing the way for the formation of a] Congress coalition govern-1 ment in the western Indian] state. The official Congress and] the breakaway Congress; faction led by the former; Prime Minister, Indira Gan-, dhi, reached agreement last week-end on a coalition to I frustrate a bid by India’s! ruling .Janata Party to form | a government in the state. The appointment of Mr Patil brought to an end the wrangling in Maharashtra which began last week when

all political parties failed to win a clear majority in state assembly elections. The official Congress, which ruled the state before the elections, and Mrs Gandhi’s faction paraded 149 assembly members before the governor (Mr Sadiq Ali) ito prove that they had the support of the majority. I But the Janata Party, i which emerged as the single largest party with 99 seats, ’ claimed that some of these members had actually pledged support to it. The formation of a Congress coalition will give a great boost to Mrs Gandhi, ] whose party already controls the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh following sweeping victories tin the elections, last week. It will also deal a blow to

nthe Janata Party’s attempts ti to gain a foothold in the ■ southern half of the country. , i The Congress Party split ; in two last January over a • leadership dispute, 'and the ) agreement to join hands in ; Maharashtra marks the 1 beginning of a possible re- » conciliation at other levels. Both Congress Parties ,! charged that the Janata j j Party Government in New , j Delhi was putting pressure ;jon the governor to prevent , the formation of a Congress coalition in Maharashtra. But the Prime Minister i (Mr Morarii Desai) told the Lower House (Lok Sabha) s that his Government had -made no attempts to ini! fluence rhe governor — the ; central Government’s representative — in the state and > i would not do so.