Nagpur, Oct 04: A majority of elected representatives (61.97 per cent) from the Vidarbha region are in favour of a separate state, a survey has revealed. A total of 163 top functionaries including MPs, MLAs, presidents of zilla parishads, mayors, presidents of municipal councils, out of a total of 179 in the region have favoured creation of a Vidarbha state on the issue of filling of financial backlog, development and separate identity of a state. In a front page report, a local Marathi daily today carried the results of the survey conducted by it recently. It showed only 23.31 per cent elected representatives are against carving out a separate Vidarbha from Maharashtra. "About 14.72 per cent are doubtful while nine per cent of these could not be contacted," the report said, claiming the figure is minimal. Giving a break-up of the survey figures, the daily said 60.94 per cent MLAs, 50 per cent MPs, 54.54 per cent ZP presidents and 67.24 per cent presidents of municipal councils in Vidarbha responded positively.
In all 39 out of 66 MLAs, including those from Congress, NCP, BJP, Bahujan Mahasangh and Gondwana Swantra Party are in favour of a Vidarbha state while 11 MLAs, mostly from Shiv Sena (5), are against it.
Three Shiv Sena MPs, Anandrao Adsul (Buldhana), Bhawana Gawli (Washim) and Anant Gudhe (Amravati) have opposed the formation of Vidarbha while five sitting MPs including two each from Congress and BJP and one from the Bharip BMS want a separate state, the survey has added.
Bureau Report