news details |
|
|
| Chavan new Maha CM, Bhujbal Deputy | | | Agencies
Mumbai, Dec 5: Maharashtra Industry Minister Ashok Chavan will be the new state Chief Minister to succeed Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was eased out of office in the aftermath of the audacious Mumbai terror attacks last week.
Meanwhile, Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party has been nominated as the next Deputy Chief Minister. The post had fallen vacant after resignation of the incumbent RR Patil over Mumbai terror attacks.
The nomination of 50-year-old Chavan, the son of late SB Chavan, as leader of the Congress Legislature Party by Congress President Sonia Gandhi was announced by senior leader Pranab Mukherjee this evening, shortly after another contender Narayan Rane hit out at Gandhi, Deshmukh and Chavan and questioned the process of election of the new leader.
Rane, who had come to Congress a few years ago from Shiv Sena, was pipped at the post by Chavan, a party loyalist and a Maratha, like Rane.
Obviously, scenting the propspect of his losing the race, Rane let loose a barrage of attack on the leadership including Gandhi at a press conference in Mumbai. Shortly later Mukherjee announced Chavan's nomination.
Chavan represents Mudkhed constituency in the Assembly. He was a Member of Parliament for two years from 1987-89 and was elected to the Assembly from 1999. Names of Union Ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Prithviraj Chavan had also done the rounds as chief ministerial contenders.
Gandhi was authorised by the state Congress Legislature Party yesterday to chose the new leader after the MLAs and MLCs failed to arrive at a consensus before the party observers Mukherjee and AK Antony. The two leaders meet Gandhi this morning and reported on the deliberations.
Reacting to his nomination, Chavan said it is a challenge to be chief minister of Maharashtra, to provide a good administration at a time of crisis like now now and to instil a sense of confidence in the common man.
"It is a challenge and accepting the challenge," he said adding there was no no pressure by the party leadership on MLAs to choose him as the chief minister.
To a question about Rane, he said it was natural for anyone to aspire to be the chief minister and he did not not take the attack as personal against him. He considered the chief minister's post as a team effort and not not as a personal accomplishment.
At a hurriedly-called press conference at his residence, Rane expressed no-confidence in Gandhi and the leadership and accused it of "reneging" on the promise to make him Chief Minister.
"Ashok Chavan cannot be my competitor. They (party) should have forwarded my name. All this is a drama. There was no no need for it.
"I have been a chief minister and the state and whole nation knows my record and what administration I provided."
The Revenue Minister, who joined Congress three years ago and was openly critical of Deshmukh, ridiculed the former chief minister and the CM aspirant Chavan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
