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Gomango's election unanimous, say observers

Bibhuti Mishra and Debi Pattnaik in Bhubaneswar

Congress observers Madhavrao Scindia and Pranab Mukherjee defended Giridhar Gomango's election as Congress Legislature Party leader on Monday, on the ground that it was unanimous and based on their assessment of the situation.

"There was nothing pre-determined or the high command imposing any outsider for the post," they clarified at a news conference before leaving for Delhi.

The two Congress general secretaries, who arrived on Monday to hold consultation with party MLAs and MPs to elect a new CLP leader, said the legislators were given an opportunity to express their views which they did in clear terms.

The duo claimed that all the MLAs and MPs met them during their day-long interaction and it was the CLP which passed a one line resolution authorising Sonia Gandhi to choose a new leader.

The controversy arose after former chief minister Nandini Satpathy denounced the imposition of a leader by the Congress high command. Mukherjee claimed Satpathy was a party to the resolution adopted at the CLP meeting, authorising the Congress president to choose a new leader.

When Gomango's candidature was proposed by outgoing J B Patnaik and seconded by Pradesh Congress chief Hemananda Biswal, Mukherjee said Satpathy did not say anything at the meeting. He said Gomango's election was not unusual as Satpathy herself was chosen as CLP leader when she was an MP. In 1980, J B Patnaik too was chosen similarly, he added.

Satpathy has a point though. Despite Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes's earlier declaration that J B Patnaik's successor would not be imposed from Delhi, Gomango was elected in true Congress style.

The CLP meeting was deferred by three hours as Scindia and Mukherjee held parleys with each MLA. When the CLP met, only a few legislators demanded a vote, suggesting the names of Industry Minister Niranjan Patnaik and Revenue Minister Jagannath Patnaik.

But 62 MLAs passed a resolution authorising Sonia to select the next CM. The meeting was then adjourned to 2130 hours. That Gomango was the frontrunner was first revealed by Satpathy to waiting journalists.

After the 1995 election, Gomango -- who has a reputation for integrity -- was to have been made chief minister, but J B Patnaik's equation with then Congress leader P V Narasimha Rao helped him edge past the tribal leader.

Gomango is seen as a good man who cannot be manipulated by Patnaik. The former chief minister is known to be anti-Gomango. With Gomango as CM, Patnaik's wings have clearly been clipped.

He will be sworn as chief minister on Wednesday.

Acting Orissa Governor Dr C Rangarajan arrived in Bhubaneswar this evening after addressing the budget session of the Andhra Pradesh assembly.

Earlier, the swearing in ceremony was scheduled for Tuesday evening. But tomorrow is an auspicious day and the ceremony has been shifted to Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, hectic lobbying has started for berths in the Gomango ministry. The state assembly has been convened on February 22, and Gomango will have a full fledged ministry before the budget session begins.

The Patnaik government had 28 ministers, but Congress sources said Gomango will have a small team in the first phase; the ministry will be expanded, subsequently.

A teacher-turned politician and a popular tribal leader, the 55-year-old former Union communications minister will be Orissa's 15th chief minister.

Born in Dibrisingh village in the tribal Koraput district, Gomango taught English at the M E high school in Behrampur for three years, from 1968 to 1971. In 1972, when his uncle Bhagirathi Gomango vacated the Koraput Lok Sabha seat to retain the assembly seat, his nephew chose to fight the by-election and won his first term in the Lok Sabha.

He has represented Koraput in the Lok Sabha a record nine times. Even the Janata Party and Janata Dal waves of 1977 and 1989 could not dislodge the diminutive, soft spoken leader.

He is the only tribal leader from Orissa to serve as Union minister. A member of the governments of Indira Gandhi, her son Rajiv and Narasimha Rao, he rose from deputy minister to minister of state (food processing, welfare and programme implementation and eventually communications).

Besides politics, Gomango is an expert musician and considered an adept performer in Changu, a tribal musical instrument. His folk dance troupe, Hidden Talent has performed all over the country.

The Orissa state page

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