In Uttar Pradesh, preparations are going on in full swing for the oath taking ceremony of the Chief Minister designate Akhilesh Singh on the 15th of this month. He was anonymously elected the leader of the Samajwadi Party legislative group yesterday in the meeting of newly elected MLAs of the party.
AIR Lucknow correspondent reports, the oath ceremony would be held at La Martiniere college ground. The oath would be administered by UP Governor B L Joshi. Several national leaders and Chief Ministers of other states have been invited to attend the function. Earlier, on May 3, 2002, BSP supremo Mayawati had taken the oath of the Chief Minister for her third tenure at the same ground.
According to the Constitutional norms, the total number of Ministers, including the Chief Minister, in the Council of Ministers in a State shall not exceed fifteen per cent of the total number of members of the Legislative Assembly of the state.
In the 403 members state assembly, about 60 members can be sworn in as ministers. Samajwadi Party has won record 224 seats.
Discussion is going on over names of would be Ministers in Akhilesh Yadav Ministry. A meeting of senior party leaders is being held today at the residence of party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in this regard.
Chief Minister designate has already announced that leaders with clean image will be preferred for ministerial berth and his ministry will be a combination of young and experienced leaders.
At the other hand, a meeting of party coordinators and senior leaders of the Bahujan Samaj Party is being held today at Lucknow at party headquarter to discuss reasons for party debacle in just concluded assembly elections. Party sources say that some organizational changes are on card.
It is also said that party president Mayawati may go to Rajya Sabha. Sources say that in view of her this move she has not taken any responsibility in the BSP legislature Party. She had moved to the upper house of Parliaments after defeat of 2002 assembly elections. Notification for biennial elections for 10 seats from the state will be issued tomorrow. BSP can send its two members with the
