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Arun Gujarathi is elected speaker in Maharashtra

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay

The Democratic Front led by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra received a boost when its candidate for the post of assembly speaker, Arun Gujarathi, won the election easily, bagging 154 votes as against 132 polled by Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Girish Bapat.

Speaking to reporters later, a jubilant Chief Minister Vilas Deshmukh said, "After this, we will easily sail through the confidence motion which comes up tomorrow."

The Sena-BJP combine suffered a setback as it got four votes less than the strength it had claimed in its memorandum to Governor P C Alexander to form the government.

Only 287 out of the 288 elected members of the assembly voted. One member, Marzban Patrawala of the Congress, died before the new House could be constituted. One vote was declared invalid.

The Shiv Sena has 69 members in the House while the BJP has 56, for a total of 125. But they had claimed the support of another 11 independents and smaller parties, for a total of 136.

Moreover, the alliance had told the governor that it had the oral support of four other legislators and would get five more supporters once it formed the government. But the governor did not buy its argument.

With today's defeat, the alliance appears certain to be defeated in the confidence vote tomorrow.

The voting through secret ballot began at 1100 today and was completed by 1300 IST. Pro-tem speaker Shankar Kolhe appointed former ministers Gajanan Kirtikar and R J Purohit from the Sena-BJP and minister Padamsinh Patil and minister of state Kripashankar Singh to count the votes.

The house then re-assembled at 1400 hours, when the pro-tem speaker declared Gujarathi elected.

As the news spread through the Vidhan Bhavan, Congress-NCP supporters waiting outside burst firecrackers.

"More MLAs will support our government during the vote of confidence," said Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who was accompanying Deshmukh.

"Now we are going to contest the deputy speaker's post too. We will not let the Sena-BJP bag that post," he added.

"We would have given them the deputy speaker's post," said Deshmukh, "had they agreed to support Arun Gujarathi."

Both the chief minister and his deputy refused to disclose the identity of the four MLAs who had crossed over to their side.

"I am glad that the newly elected MLAs have put their faith in me. I will see to it that the Opposition gets enough time for debates in the assembly," said Gujarathi. "My priority now is to see that the confidence vote passes off smoothly tomorrow."

Asked whether he foresaw trouble since the Democratic Front does not have a big majority, Gujarathi replied: "I don't think there will be a problem in conducting the procedures of the House if I am impartial. And you will see that in the coming days."

Earlier Report

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