Governors for five States (Bihar,Manipur,W.Bengal,Punjab & Karnataka) finalised?
By Vinay Kumar
NEW DELHI, NOV. 18. The Government is said to have finalised the names of five Governors for appointment in the States of Bihar, Manipur, West Bengal, Punjab and Karnataka.
Confirmation that some development on the gubernatorial appointments was on the cards came indirectly from the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Jyoti Basu. After a 30-minute meeting with the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, at the North Block here, Mr. Basu told mediapersons that the Vajpayee Government had proposed the name of Mr. Viren Shah, a noted industrialist, to take over the reins of the Raj Bhavan in Calcutta and the that Left Front government has no objection to the proposal.
According to Mr. Basu, the Home Minister had already proposed Mr. Viren Shah's name. "The suggested name of Mr. Shah was agreed upon by me. He is a good industrialist and a man of good personality," Mr. Basu told reporters.
Mr. Shah has been a BJP member of the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. Curiously enough, while the BJP establishment was keen on nominating Mr. Shah to the Calcutta Raj Bhavan even during Mr. A. B. Vajpayee's earlier Prime Ministerial innings, it had to drop the idea because of the reported objection from the Trinamul Congress chief, Ms. Mamata Banerjee.
Vinod Pande for Bihar
While the former Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Vinod Pande, is likely to be appointed to the Bihar Governor, the member of the Advisory Board of the National Security Council, Mr. Ved Marwah, is tipped for appointment as Manipur Governor.
A former member of the Planning Commission, Mohammad Fazal, is likely to be nominated to the Goa Raj Bhavan in the place of the present incumbent, Lt. Gen. (Retd) J.F.R. Jacob, who is being shifted as Punjab Governor, according to highly-placed sources.
The name of the gubernatorial nominee to Karnataka could not be finalised because of differences among the BJP and its allies. The senior BJP leader, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthy, and the former Election Commissioner, Mr. G. V. G. Krishnamurthy, are in the reckoning for appointment to the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore. (The Hindu)
The choice of half a dozen gubernatorial nominees has not only sprung a surprise among the BJP aspirants but it has also shown the keenness of the Prime Minister to avoid controversies in political circles.
If the new list is any indication, the NDA Government appears to have made its choices in a cautious manner by coming up with a mix of a seasoned civil servant, a police officer, a Planning Commission member, and an industrialist. |
