Search on for new Maharashtra CM

Mumbai: The search for a new chief minister to take over Maharashtra is on and already three names - Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan in the Prime Minister's Office, Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and State Revenue Minister Narayan Rane - have been floated.

Public anger over the state and country's inability to control terrorist acts on time as well as political pressure from senior Congress leaders compelled Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to offer his resignation to the Congress Party on Monday.

Perhaps, what did him in was his visit to the devastated Taj Mahal hotel, where terrorists killed over 80 innocent people last week.

His arrival at the hotel on Sunday morning with son Riteish and film producer Ram Gopal Verma only stirred up public fury, accusing him of wanting to boost his son's career through Verma's film.

Apparently, Congress President Sonia Gandhi is upset with this "terror tour" but Deshmukh, a picture of calm and coolness, said at a press conference yesterday morning that the Congress high command had yet to take a decision - on his resignation.

Equally under pressure after Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil resigned, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil put in his papers saying, "I have gone by my conscience."

Only a day earlier, he had questioned, "Why should I resign?"

Neither Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi nor former Union Home Minister L K Advani resigned after attacks on Akshardham temple or the Parliament house. To fend off the increasing public anger over Patil's statement that such "small" attacks occur from time to time in big cities, Sharad Pawar, president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), said that Patil had offered to resign two days back.

The replacement for the home minister's post has to come from the NCP and one of the names brought up is Ajit Pawar, Pawar's nephew, presently Guardian Minister. Another name being floated is Chhagan Bhujbal, who has the experience.

Choosing the chief minister is a tricky job since Chavan, a Sonia loyalist, does not have much experience with the present-day problems or politics of Maharashtra. Moreover, since he hails from Western Maharashtra, there would be objections from Pawar, who prefers to have this region under his party's control.

Shinde has been the chief minister of Maharashtra in the past when he replaced Deshmukh.

His experience will be counted but whether he will make a dynamic leader to take the city and state retrieve back its image of a safe and cosmopolitan place cannot be counted on.

And that leaves Maharashtra with Rane, who has criticised Deshmukh all through, waiting in the wings to take over.

Strategy: Cabinet changes

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has taken temporary charge of the Finance Ministry after P. Chidambaram was shifted to the Home Ministry, is expected to make up his mind after December 10 on whether to appoint a new Finance Minister.

Singh has called a meeting with senior Finance Ministry officials to discuss whether to present the normal budget in February end or go in for a 'Vote on Account'.

Presenting a regular budget means the government will prefer next general elections when it gets due in April-May next year and Vote on Account would indicate early elections, probably in February.

In case the PM opts for regular budget, then he may have to look for a new finance minister since his hands are full with so much work, said sources in the Congress party.

It is learnt that Singh has already zeroed in on two former governors of Reserve Bank of India, as possible new finance minister. They are Dr Bimal Jalan and Dr C. Rangarajan, both of whom are nominated members to the Rajya Sabha.

- Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent