Indian politicians scramble for power in new states

November 7, 2000
Web posted at: 7:12 AM HKT (2312 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- India's politicians are running over themselves in the race for new jobs as three new states, carved out of large existing ones, are launched this month.

Political groups are breaking ties, aiming for new alliances as a never-before opportunity for power opens up in the new states in the north, centre and east of the country.

A regional constituent of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's overstretched 23-party coalition snapped ties on Monday after the coalition rejected its demand to lead the new tribal state of Jharkhand, towards the east of the country.

"I have struggled for 30 years for this (state), and now they have snubbed us," said Sibu Soren, leader of the regional Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party says a tribal leader from its ranks should be Jharkhand's chief minister because it was the biggest group in the new state's legislature.

Soren, who is the regional group's choice to head the mineral rich Jharkhand state being carved out of poverty-stricken state of Bihar, said he would seek support among opposition groups to form a government.

Soren's supporters have warned of bloodshed if he is not sworn in as chief minister on November 15 when Jharkhand is born after a struggle which the tribals say began before India won freedom from Britain in 1947.

"The race for power in the new states is intense because this is the formative period," said political analyst Yogendra Yadav. "The smart political actors know that whoever holds the initial advantage has the edge later on," he said.

India currently has 26 states including the national capital region of Delhi, and the last time such a large-scale re-mapping of states was done was in 1956.

Chhattisgarh carved out of the largest central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the hill region of Uttaranchal, sliced out of most populous northern Uttar Pradesh are the other two new states.

The scent of power has unleashed vicious infighting within political parties taking charge of the new states.

Former civil servant Ajit Jogi's appointment last week as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh was marked by a scuffle among workers of his Congress party unhappy over the decision which they said was thrust on them by the party leadership.

Jogi, whose first challenge is to tackle a creeping drought in the fledgling state has not yet named his cabinet colleagues because of feuding party leaders.

Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist BJP which will take power in the hill state of Uttaranchal too has been struggling to rein in the competing ambitions of partymen. Days before the country's newest Himalayan state is inaugurated, the BJP has not yet announced its choice of chief minister.

"The party's central leadership will take a decision on the chief minister soon, these things can take time," BJP vice president Jana Krishnamurthy said.

"One wrong move (early on) can hurt the party. We are trying to take everyone along," said another BJP leader who asked not to be named.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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