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Bakht leading contender for TN governor's post

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Union Cabinet's decision on Sunday to continue its crucial meeting on Monday following its resolve to recall Tamil Nadu Governor Fathima Beevi is meant to decide who her replacement will be, a top Bharatiya Janata Party leader asserted.

"With Fathima Beevi's goose cooked, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Cabinet colleagues will decide who is the most suitable candidate to replace her," the BJP leader pointed out.

He indicated that topping the list of hopefuls is party veteran Sikandar Bakht.

According to a minister from the BJP, the Cabinet was unanimous that Fathima Beevi's conduct during the recent developments in Tamil Nadu was tantamount to "gross disrespect" to the President as well as Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Vajpayee listened in rapt attention to the views of his colleagues before deciding that it would be in the best interests of constitutional and democratic norms to recall the governor immediately.

Accordingly, the Cabinet decided to advise President K R Narayanan to "withdraw his pleasure" from Fathima Beevi holding the constitutional office.

The governor's imminent replacement bodes ill for Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, already facing widespread criticism for the way in which her government has handled the arrest of DMK president M Karunanidhi. Her path now appears to be strewn with political mines.

Karunanidhi's Arrest: The Complete Coverage

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