By IANS
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati, who assumes office as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Sunday, will be sworn in at 1 p.m. along with only five other ministers.
According to party sources, the BSP chief did not want to begin with a large council of ministers.
“More ministers would be inducted in due course once she has settled down,” a party source said on conditions of anonymity. BSP members have strictly been told not to speak to the media.
The urgency for installing the new government was necessitated on account of certain constitutional provisions, according to which there should be no gap between an outgoing and incoming government, especially since the term of the outgoing state assembly expires Sunday midnight.
Hectic preparations have been afoot since Saturday at the Raj Bhavan (governor’s house) for Sunday’s swearing in ceremony.
Mayawati would be creating history of sorts by being the first Dalit woman leader to be chief minister of an Indian state for the fourth time. Also, she will be heading a government formed entirely on the strength of a Dalit party without any outside support.
In her earlier three stints, Mayawati was dependent on other political parties – mainly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
This will also be the first non-coalition in Uttar Pradesh after 1991, when Kalyan Singh headed a majority BJP government.