Tuesday, May 3 2005 08:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Even as "a dangerous enterprise" to cobble together a majority among political parties is on, installation of a popular Government in Bihar looked remote, Governor Buta Singh said yesterday (May 2, 2005).

"Given the arithmetic of the 243-member Assembly, chance of early installation of a popular Government seems to be remote even though a khatarnak uddyam (dangerous enterprise) to cobble together a majority is on," Singh told reporters at the secretariat in Patna.

Stating that no major contender for power, either the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) or the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), seemed to be in a position to cobble together majority, Singh said attempts would be made to make the President's rule "more popular".

The Governor said he would entertain claim of any alliance for forming a popular Government only after they came up with a satisfactory list of 122 MLAs required for a simple majority.

He was replying to a volley of questions, including the one relating to the charge that political parties were indulging in horse-trading of legislators to form a Government in the State.