kammula@plato.engr.umbc.edu (Chandra Sekhar Kammula) (06/21/91)
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Chandra Sekhar Kammula <kammula@plato.engr.umbc.edu>
Source: [NEWSCLIPS/INFO.SERVICES.MAIL] MAIL/USA
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Subj: INDIAN CONGRESS PARTY NAMES NARASHIMHA RAO AS PRIME MINISTER
NEW DELHI, INDIA (JUNE 20) UPI - The Congress (I) Party, which is expected to
form the next Indian government, named veteran politician P.V. Narasimha Rao
as its choice for prime minister Thursday.
Congress (I) lawmakers unanimously chose Rao, 70, as their parliamentary
leader at a meeting in the central hall of the circular British-built
Parliament House.
The party's parliamentary leader will automatically become prime minister if
President Ramaswamy Venkataram calls on the Congress (I) party to form the
next government - an action Venkataram is expected to take.
The party claimed the largest number of seats in the lower house of parliament
the Lok Sabha, in elections but failed to win an absolute majority and must
seek support from smaller parties and independents to form a government.
The three-phase parliamentary elections began May 20, but the second two
rounds were postponed for three weeks because of the May 21 assassination of
Congress (I) leader, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, at a campaign rally in
southern India.
Rao's nomination became virtually certain earlier Thursday when his main rival
for the post, Sharad Pawar, the powerful chief minister of western Maharashtra
state, withdrew from the race.
Rao is considered a weak politician with no political base of his own and that
apparently influenced party leaders to support him as he is not perceived as a
threat and his selection as prime minister would not alienate any groups
within the party.
But Rao did not seek election to the lower house of Parliament in the recent
round of voting because of ill health and would have to gain a parliamentary
seat within six months in order to continue as prime minister.
''I have decided to extend constructive support to Mr. Rao,'' Pawar told
reporters after a brief meeting with Rao. ''I am in favor of consensus on the
election of the leader and I have decided to support Rao.
''I appeal to all to support P.V. Narasimha Rao and thus arrive at a unanimous
decision,'' he said at Rao's home.
An associate of Pawar said party leaders worked out a compromise formula under
which Pawar's supporters would be accommodated in key Cabinet positions in
exchange for Pawar's withdrawal from the race for prime minister.
News reports said Thursday that Pawar in an earlier meeting with Rao Wednesday
also extracted a promise that the powers of Gandhi's former aides would be
curbed.
Rao was chosen as Congress (I) president following Gandhi's assassination in a
bid to display party unity in the midst of the elections. Gandhi's
Italian-born widow, Sonia, had earlier rejected a plea by party leaders to
accept the post.
Congress emerged as the largest party in Parliament following the elections
but has failed to gain an absolute majority in the 545-member lower house.
Results were being tabulated in only 511 seats. Elections were not held in
some areas because of security considerations, while officials ordered
repolling in 13 constituencies because of the death of candidates or voting
irregularities.
The first day of polling was May 20, but the remaining two rounds were
postponed for three weeks following Gandhi's May 21 assassination.
With election results announced in 492 races, the Congress and its allies
controlled 233 seats. The right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies
captured 121 seats and the National Front-Left Front grouping won 119 seats.
Remaining seats were captured by small groups and independents.
Results for the remaining 18 seats were expected later Thursday.
The next government is expected to be stable, because after the bloodiest
elections in India's parliamentary history and Gandhi's assassination while
campaigning, none of the political parties wants to go back to the voters
anytime soon. The Left Front and National Front also are concerned about the
strong showing of the Hindu chauvinist BJP in the elections.
Subj: CONGRESS PARTY NOMINATES NARASIMHA RAO FOR PRIME MINISTER OF
INDIA
NEW DELHI, INDIA (JUNE 20) UPI - The Congress (I) Party, which is expected to
form the next Indian government, named veteran politician and statesman P.V.
Narasimha Rao as its choice for prime minister Thursday.
Congress (I) lawmakers unanimously chose Rao, who turns 70 next week, as their
parliamentary leader at a packed meeting in the central hall of the circular
British-built Parliament House.
The parliamentary leader automatically becomes prime minister if President
Ramaswamy Venkataram calls on Congress to form the next government - an action
that Venkataram is indeed expected to take.
''As an Indian I feel overwhelmed,'' Rao said in a speech after the
nomination. ''As a representative of a great party, I feel like a Colossus.''
Congress claimed the largest number of seats in the lower house of Parliament,
the Lok Sabha, in elections but failed to win an absolute majority and must
seek support from smaller parties and independents to form a government.
The three-phase parliamentary elections began May 20, but the second two
rounds were postponed for three weeks because of the May 21 assassination of
Congress (I) leader and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at a campaign rally
in southern India.
''We owe it to Rajiv Gandhi, to his memory and to the nation to implement his
program to the hilt,'' Rao said, standing in front of a garlanded portrait of
Gandhi, who governed India from 1984 until 1989. ''There is no other way. We
shall run this government and run it successfully.''
Rao's nomination became virtually certain earlier Thursday when his chief
rival for the post, Sharad Pawar, the powerful chief minister of western
Maharashtra state, withdrew from the race.
In a political career spanning five decades, Rao has held every major Cabinet
portfolio, including the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and the Home
Ministry.
But Rao did not seek election to the lower house of parliament in the recent
round of voting because of ill health and would have to gain a parliamentary
seat within six months to continue as prime minister.
He would be the first prime minister to come from south India and only the
second Congress (I) head of government, after Lal Bahadur Shastri in the early
1960s, from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has run India for all but a
few years of its 44-year history.
But he is considered a weak politician with no political base of his own,
characteristics that apparently influenced party leaders to support him
because he is not perceived as a threat and his selection as prime minister
would not alienate any groups within the party.
News reports said Pawar withdrew his name from the race after he found senior
leaders and former Gandhi aides opposed his candidacy.
An associate of Pawar also said party leaders worked out a compromise formula
under which Pawar's supporters would be accommodated in key Cabinet positions
in exchange for the Maharastra chief minister's withdrawal from the race for
prime minister.
News reports said Thursday that Pawar at a meeting with Rao on Wednesday also
extracted a promise that the powers of Gandhi's former aides would be curbed.
''I have decided to extend constructive support to Mr. Rao,'' Pawar told
reporters after a brief meeting with Rao Thursday. ''I am in favor of
consensus on the election of the leader and I have decided to support Rao.''
Rao was chosen as Congress (I) president in May following Gandhi's
assassination in a bid to display party unity in the midst of the elections.
Gandhi's Italian-born widow, Sonia, had earlier rejected a plea by party
leaders to accept the post.
Congress emerged as the largest party in Parliament following the elections
but was just short of an absolute majority in the 545-member lower house.
With election results announced in 499 races, the Congress and its allies
controlled 233 seats. The right-wing Bharatiya^?^U5Gx]xh^T<.W and its allies
captured 122 seats and the National Front- Left Front grouping won 120 seats.
Remaining seats were captured by small groups and independents.
Results for 12 other races were expected to be announced later in the week.
There were races for only 511 seats. Elections were not held in some areas
because of security considerations. Officials ordered repolling in five
constituencies because of voting irregularities, while balloting was postponed
in eight other legislative districts because of the death of candidates.
The next government is expected to be a stable one, because after the
bloodiest elections in India's parliamentary history and Gandhi's assassination while campaigning, none of the political parties wants to go
back to the voters soon. The Left Front and National Front also are concerned
about the strong showing of the Hindu chauvinist BJP in the elections.
''We cannot go back to the electorate again,'' said Ajit Singh, a senior
leader of the Janata Dal Party of former prime minister V.P. Singh, a member
of the National Front coalition.
''No one is ready to face election again,'' said Sujrit Singh, a politburo
member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
End of Article
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Edited to suit the needs of MNS
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