In West Bengal, preparations within the state administration have reached a peak following the declaration of the election results and ahead of the swearing-in of the new government.
According to party sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arriving in Kolkata today and may announce the name of the leader of the BJP legislative party after holding a meeting with the newly elected BJP MLAs. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to follow soon after.
The constitutional process of government formation is moving swiftly. The Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, along with representatives of the Election Commission, today met with the Governor with the Gazette notification of the results of all 293 Assembly constituencies in the state.
The formal process of forming the new government will begin only after the Governor receives the official election results.
The Governor may also take a decision on how the interim administrative arrangement will function until the new government is formally sworn in.
At the same time, the stand taken by outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has added a layer of complexity to the situation.
Mamata on Tuesday made it clear that she would not go to Lok Bhavan to resign. Against this backdrop of political confrontation, preparations for the administrative transition in Bengal have now entered a decisive phase.
Meanwhile, in Keralam, the United Democratic Front (UDF), which secured a clear majority in the Assembly elections, is continuing discussions to form the government.
The Congress, which leads the front, will first decide on the Chief Minister, after which further discussions will be held.
The Congress Legislature Party meeting in Keralam will be held tomorrow in Thiruvananthapuram.
The meeting will take place after informal discussions by observers from the All India Congress Committee, who are scheduled to arrive in the state capital this evening.
KPCC President Sunny Joseph has stated that a decision regarding the Chief Minister will be made only after the observers hear the views of the MLAs.
Following the Congress Legislature Party meeting, a UDF Legislature Party meeting will also be held. After these meetings, the alliance leaders are expected to meet the Governor and stake their claim to form the government.
