Gogoi set to resign today, Himachal CM says no need
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday asked why he should resign, saying the mandate of the people was not against his government. But his counterpart in Assam, Mr Tarun Gogoi, seems determined to quit on moral grounds. He will be meeting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Thursday to submit his resignation.
If Mrs Gandhi accepts Mr Gogoi’s resignation then Mr Virbhadra Singh and the Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttarakhand chief ministers, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Mr Harish Rawat, respectively, would also have to resign. But reports coming from Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttarakhand suggest that none of these CMs are willing to quit on moral grounds.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was in the national capital on Tuesday, felt the Congress has no time left for a change of guard in Maharashtra as the state Assembly polls could be held in October. But, politically, Mr Chavan’s continuation would ensure victory for the five- party grand alliance led by the bjpshiv Sena, which is confident of winning 200 Assembly seats.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Virbhadra Singh said no Congress chief minister need resign but that it was for the party high command to decide.
Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday created history as he took oath as the chief minister of Orissa for the record fourth term. No other chief minister had occupied the hot seat for four times or served the state for more than 14 years.
Former CM and current Assam governor J. B. Patnaik had the opportunity to become the CM for three terms — from 1980- 1985, 1985 to 1989 and again from 1995- 1999.
The 67- year- old Naveen, who kept him- self busy in writing books in Delhi, entered state politics 17 years ago after the death of his father Biju Patnaik.
The bachelor politician successfully overcame the anti- incumbency factor and a Modi wave by leading his party to secure 117 seats in the 147- member Assembly and 20 of the state’s 21 Lok Sabha seats in the just concluded general election.
Analysts say several pro- poor programmes, like Mo Kudia Yojana, Biju Krushak Yojana, Mission Shakti and ` 1per kg rice scheme for the poor, implemented by helped his party win.