[input] [input] NDTV [input] GOOGLE [input] Defection politics: Single MLA syndrome rules the day
--------------------------------- Rahul Srivastava, Priyakna Kakodkar NDTV.com Sunday, March 6, 2005 (Ranchi/Goa): The last seven days have been dominated by political controversies, be it the vote of confidence in Goa, or the alleged kidnapping of Enos Ekka, the man who seems to hold the fate of the new Jharkhand Governor. Today, many independent MLAs have become a crucial make or break factor in elections across the country. One of Goa's master defectors is Isidore Fernandes, who has switched back and forth between the Congress and the BJP without a problem, in the last three years. In 2002, he was a Congress MLA, but two years later, he was re-elected from the same constituency on a BJP ticket. Within three months, he quit the Parrikar government to re-join the Congress, and was sworn in as a minister in the Pratapsingh Rane cabinet in January this year. Switching sides Single MLAs like him are worth their weight in gold for big parties like Congress and the BJP, especially in a legislature where one vote can make or break a government. During the crisis in Goa, each vote counted and neither the Congress nor the BJP could afford to take a chance with horse-trading. Congress supporters were holed up in the bungalow of Taligao MLA Babush Monserrate, while the BJP flew its contingent to Jaipur for safekeeping. Toppling games However, Goa is a state famous for its culture of defections and topple games, considering it's a state which has had 14 chief ministers in the last 15 years. Isidore laughingly admits that switiching sides are all about bargaining for ministerial berths. Be it Goa or Jharkhand, all an MLA has to do is pick the winning side. What else changes hands is a matter of speculation. "It's important to be on the ruling side. Everyone wants to be a minister, but the limit on the cabinet is 12. We should change the rules and all 40 MLAs should get ministries," said Isidore Fernandes. "The (Goa) government had two ministers without portfolios. Maybe we could all get ministries even without portfolios," he added. Tough anti-defection law Incidentally, Isidore also has the dubious distinction of being the very first MLA in the country to switch sides after the anti-defection law became tougher. According to the 91st amendment, 10th Schedule, MLAs who switch sides now have to resign their seats and face a by-election. During the Goa crisis, five BJP MLAs resigned their seats. It was their resignation rather than the withdrawal of support by two MLAs (one independent, one MGP), which destabilised the Parrikar government. Resignation strategy So, both the Congress and the BJP weren't just trying to get smaller parties and independents to switch sides. They were trying to get each other's MLAs to resign. Mikky Pacheco is one of those who resigned from the Parrikar government. In the last two years, he has been with the United Goan Democratic Party, the BJP and now the NCP. "I had decided on going for the by-election in September itself. I had joined the BJP with the intention of bringing down the government," said Pacheco. Defection politics Election officials say that this shows how Goa, one of India's most recent states, has become the laboratory of defection politics. "Goa is known for setting an example for the whole country on the different ways to split and defect without incurring the wrath of the anti-defection law. This is a state in which the Speaker himself had defected," said Prabhakar Timble, state election commissioner. "But after the anti-defection law, the new trend will not be defections but resignations, and the Isidore case, the brainchild of the Parrikar government, was the very first case," he added. Art of switching sides However, if Goa is a laboratory, then in the past week, Jharkhand has taken the art of switching sides to a new level. Independent MLA Enos Ekka has emerged as the man of the moment in Jharkhand. Whoever Ekka votes for, will decide the future of the government. On Monday, the NDA claimed his support in a letter to the Governor when they staked claim. But on Tuesday, the UPA alliance claimed likewise, leading the Governor to allow them to form the government. On Thursday, the NDA actually produced him before President Kalam as proof that Ekka was supporting them. But a day later, the Congress accused the NDA of using strong-arm tactics on him literally. The UPA claims the NDA has kidnapped Ekka. He is now being kept in Rajasthan by the NDA along with other independent MLAs, presumably away from the clutches of the Soren government until the vote of confidence on March 15. Hung assemblies What Jharkhand and Goa have done in the past week is to just highlight a political reality. Several states are throwing up hung assemblies or governments with precarious majorities. Each vote counts, and the big parties, be it national or regional, who have realised that it's easy to scuttle a government, are no longer looking at wholesale defections. Instead, an Enos Ekka or an Isidore Fernandes will suffice. - Forwarded by www.goa-world.com Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. 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