UP assembly's farewell session on May 9

Lucknow, May 8: Farewell session of the outgoing Uttar Pradesh Assembly will be held tomorrow when the Mulayam Singh Yadav government will seek the passage of a new Bill to provide minority status to the controversial Maulana Mohammad Ali Jahaur Private University at Rampur.

The tenure of the present 14th Assembly expires on May 14 and this will be perhaps for the first time in the history of the state legislature that a bill would be passed a few days before the new Assembly is expected to be constitituted.

Counting of votes for all the 403 seats, voting for which held in seven phases, will be taken up on May 11.

Earlier on the criticism from the opposition parties, the state government had deferred the assembly session five times. The last sitting of the house, which started on January 18, was on March 12 when the house passed the vote-on-accounts for the first four months of the current financial year.

Principal Secretary (Assembly) R P Pandey, said here today that the farwell session of the Assembly will be held tomorrow.

During tomorrow's session the Samajwadi Party government will seek the clearance of the Bill in the House to provide a minority status to Maulana Mohammad Ali Jahaur Private University in Rampur, where state Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan is a life-time pro-chancellor.

In the absence of BSP and Congress members, the government through an amendment in the Bill will make three-fourth majority of the Assembly for de-recognisation of the university with an approval from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The government might also withdraw the Bill, which had been sent for Presidential reference by State Governor T V Rajeswar for setting up Mohammad Ali Jahaur University under the government sector.

The sitting is expected to generate much heat with Chief Minister Mulayam Singh likely to deliver a farewell speech along with Leader of the Opposition Lalji Tandon.

UNI