LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI, February 22: Political developments in Uttar Pradesh took another astounding turn on Sunday with the Jagdambika Pal ministry losing the support of 12 MLAs even as governor Romesh Bhandari gave three more days for the new chief minister to prove his majority on the floor of the house.The trial will now take place on February 27 as sought and obtained by the chief minister instead of February 24 as fixed by the governor earlier, when he was installed as chief minister.
In a day of high-voltage political drama, seven MLAs belonging to the chief minister's Loktantrik Congress Party (LCP) made a surprise appearance at a press conference of BJP state unit chief Rajnath Singh and claimed that they, along with five other legislators, continued to be with Kalyan Singh.
They also claimed that deputy chief minister Naresh Agarwal was with them and would resign soon. The BJP camp is hopeful of regaining the support of at least four more LCP MLAs, if not more.
During the day, president KR Narayanan consulted attorney-general Ashok Desai and other legal experts on the crisis even as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Atal Behari Vajpayee took the party's battle to Delhi, where he is continuing his fast unto death till Bhandari is removed by the president.
Meanwhile, the Allahabad high court on Sunday adjourned till Monday hearing on a writ petition challenging the dismissal of the Kalyan Singh government. On Saturday, LCP had approached the governor claiming the support of 221 of the total 425 legislators in the UP Vidhan Sabha, on the basis of which, Bhandari summarily dismissed the Kalyan Singh government and sworn in Pal as the new UP chief minister. With the return of the prodigal MLAs to the BJP fold, the tally of the newly-elected coalition is down to 214, a whisker more than the required majority of 213.
In case the remaining four LCP MLAs rejoin Kalyan Singh as is being hoped, the Pal government will be left with a tally of 210, less than the required majority. At the time of going to press, the BJP camp was anxiously waiting to welcome Aggarwal and "others" back to the fold at the residence of Rajnath Singh, who maintained that they had gone to tender their resignations from the Pal government.
Speaking at a impromptu press conference at Rajnath Singh's residence, former CM Kalyan Singh launched a scathing attack on the governor, whom he said "has to go and must go." Accusing Bhandari for once again acting in a blatantly partisan manner, Kalyan Singh said he was the "number one enemy of the constitution, the democracy and parliamentary norms".
He accused Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh for hatching the conspiracy for toppling his government. Singh claimed that according to reports received from polling booths in Sambhal, the SP chief had resorted to large scale booth-rigging, details of which have already been forwarded by the BJP to the Election Commission.
Kalyan Singh also accused the SP chief, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress of having worked hand-in-glove with Bhandari to ensure that the "state was pushed into the cauldron of mid-term elections again."
The state BJP has called for a UP Bandh on Monday to press for Bhandari's dismissal. Senior party leaders including Kalyan Singh, Lalji Tandon and Kalraj Misra are scheduled to hold a dharna opposite the GPO in Lucknow and party workers are planning relay fasts as well.
