Monday, March 14 2005 09:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: Battle lines were drawn last night (Mar 13, 2005) for a show of strength between Jharkhand's ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Opposition United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for the post of Assembly Speaker ahead of the confidence vote for Chief Minister Arjun Munda both to be held on March 15, a day later than scheduled.

While the ruling combine named Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader and former Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari as its candidate for the post, the Opposition alliance at its meeting in Ranchi last evening decided to put up Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Annapoorna Devi as its challenger.

With the NDA Government walking on thin ice as the election of its candidate as the Speaker would make it 40-40 in the 81-member House, efforts are on to rope in ailing Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Kamlesh Singh on its side.

Singh is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Ranchi and may abstain from voting in the trial of strength giving the NDA an advantage.

NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar said in Delhi that Singh was bound by the party whip to vote against NDA and could loose membership of the Assembly if he went against the whip.

Singh for his part told reporters from his hospital bed, "I will take a decision after consulting my supporters in my constituency."

Although Singh was sworn in as a member of previous Shibu Soren-led UPA Ministry, he has not so far taken oath as a member of the House nor did he turn up at Saturday's (Mar 12, 2005) swearing in Arjun Munda Government although his name had figured in the list of Ministers to take oath.

The NCP yesterday served a show-cause notice Kamlesh Singh, asking him to show cause why he should not be disqualified as an MLA since his name as a Minister was announced during the swearing-in of Arjun Munda ministry. A copy of the show-cause notice would be delivered to pro-tem Speaker Karia Munda today (Mar `14, 2005), State NCP chief Lal Babu Singh Patel said.

If Namdhari is elected Speaker, reducing NDA's strength on the floor to 40, he can still sway the arithmetic in favour of NDA by his casting vote in the event of a tie.

The nomination for election of Speaker would be taken up today, Munda, told reporters in Ranchi after senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Karia Munda took oath as pro tem Speaker.

Munda said he would seek the trust vote on Tuesday (Mar 15, 2005) instead of Monday and added the rescheduling was necessitated following delay in sending details of the scheduled business in the Assembly to the Raj Bhawan.

The Munda Government on Saturday decided to face the floor test on March 14.

Governor Syed Sibte Razi had given time till March 21 to Munda to prove his Government's majority in the Assembly.

Munda said Namdhari is NDA's choice for Speaker's post and hoped he would be elected unanimously. "We want both the Government side and the Opposition to vote unanimously for our nominee," he said.

Asked if Namdhari's election as Speaker would not reduce NDA's strength by one in the Assembly, he said, "You need not worry about that."

Stephen Marandi was also chosen last night as the convenor of the ten-member UPA coordination committee in Jharkhand.

Briefing the press, Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha (JMM) chief and former Chief Minister Shibu Soren, however, said the UPA would announce the name of the Opposition leader in Jharkhand Assembly at a later time.

While two each from the JMM, the Congress and the RJD were selected as members of the committee, three members - Bandhu Tirkey, Joba Manjhi and Nazam Ansari - represent the United Gujarat Democratic Party (UGDP).

The members of the committee are: Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC) president and MP Sushila Kerkata, Congress MLA Thomas Hansda, Uday Shankar Singh and Anapurna Devi (both RJD MLAs), Bandhu Tirkey and Joba Manjhi (both UGDP MLAs), UGDP leader Nazam Ansari and Sudhir Mahto and Champai Soren (both JMM MLAs).

The candidature of Annapoorna Devi was "unanimously" approved at a meeting of legislators of UPA constituents held in Ranchi last evening, convenor of UPA State coordination committee Stephen Marandi told reporters.

The meeting was attended by more than 20 UPA MLAs mostly belonging to JMM, Congress and RJD as well as former Chief Minister Shibu Soren.