The Hindu : National : Congress camps jubilant over Krishna's appointment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 28, 2004

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National

Congress camps jubilant over Krishna's appointment

By S. Rajendran

BANGALORE, NOV. 27. The appointment of the former Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, as the Governor of Maharashtra has been received well by all sections in Congress here. It is one of the few occasions when a senior politician from the State has been appointed Governor of an important State such as Maharashtra.

Mr. Krishna, who is now on a tour of China, is expected to return to Bangalore on December 2 and take charge thereafter. That Mr. Krishna was tipped for an important position was well known for some time, but it was widely believed that he would be given an assignment at the Centre. The former Chief Minister had also not indicated that he was in favour of a gubernatorial post, which would in reality keep him away from active politics.

Sources in the Congress told The Hindu here today that Mr. Krishna was not expected to stay put as Governor for a long time and, as per present indications, would return to active politics well in time before the next Assembly elections in the State.

Many Congress leaders who wielded considerable influence during Mr. Krishna's Chief Ministership were against the present coalition Government and this had led to the belief that Mr. Krishna was firing from their shoulder. It is common knowledge that a section of the Congress in the State is against the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda.

Mr. Krishna had called on the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, before leaving for China on November 13. Over the past six months, after the coalition Government took charge in the State, he has been abroad for about four months. He went to the United Kingdom and the U.S. and is now in China. He was slated to undertake an intensive tour of the State on his return from China to strengthen the Congress base.

Mr. Krishna, 72, and the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, enjoy a good rapport and Mr. Deshmukh was the Congress general secretary given the charge of Karnataka until recently.

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