Trust vote will be a close call

New Delhi: Ongoing developments in the national capital indicatethat the trust vote on July 22 is going to be a close call.

Minus the Speaker, two vacancies and one MP who cannot vote, the Lok Sabha has an effective strength of 343 PMs. The UPA has committed support of 259 MPs and the opposition of 254.

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But weak party discipline, backroom deals and possible accidents like MPs falling ill or mistakenly spoiling a ballot mean the vote on Tuesday is almost impossible to predict. The two-dozen-and-odd undecided MPs hold the key to the fate of the government and both sides are wooing them.

The UPA Government on Thursday renamed Lucknow airport after former Prime Minister the late Chaudhary Charan Singh to appease his son Ajit Singh, who leaders the Rashtriya Lok Dal , with five members. Singh was subsequently approached by CPI leader AB Bardhan to oppose the trust move. But he remained non-committal. “I will discuss the matter with my party colleagues,” was all he said to media persons after the meeting.

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Though he had earlier said he supported the nuclear deal, Ajit Singh is yet to spell out whether his party MPs would be voting in favour of the UPA government.

From the Left point of view, the Bardhan-Ajit Singh meeting is considered the second most crucial after Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat met Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday.

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Following that meeting, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had contacted the president of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Chandrasekhara Rao.

JMM leader Shibu Soren, whose party has five MPs, also finds himself wooed by both the camps. The UPA has promised hi that he will be given back the coal ministry in the union cabinet, while the BJP has promised him the Chief Minister's post in his home state Jharkhand. The three-member JD(S) headed by H D Deve Gowda which has recently tied up with Congress for the Rajya Sabha bye-election, is also keeping the ruling party on tenterhooks.

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A rebel party MP, M P Veerendra Kumar, has already declared that he will vote against the government. The National Conference with two members is also maintaining suspense saying all options are open before it. Then comes the role of dissidents in parties like Congress, SP and TRS.

A suspended Congress member Kuldeep Bishnoi from Haryana has announced that he would vote against the government, while a TRS rebel has said he would decide towards the date of the vote with the condition that the Centre should offer something on the separate Telangana issue.

SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav has virtually conceded that three of his MPs were not with him. There are over a half a dozen independents and single member groups from the North East who could hold the trump card for the government.

The close contest had turned the MPs languishing in jails into much sought after VIPs.

In Ghazipur jail, UP, SP MP Afzal Ansari was visited by BSP MP Akbar Ahmed Dumpy. Afzal is reported to be negotiating a BSP ticket for the next elections.

In Nani central jail, UP, expelled SP MP Atiq Ahmed was approached by Mulayam Singh's nephew and Mainpuri MP Dharmendra Yadav, to ensure that he did not walk over to the BSP. In Fatehpur jail of UP, expelled BSP MP Umakant Yadav, received a visit from senior BSP leader and UP Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui.

The MP, who was personally handed over to police by Mayawati, was promised that his expulsions would be revoked and cases against him withdrawn if he voted against UPA.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday allowed RJD MP from Madhepura Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav to take part in the trust vote. RJD MP from Siwan, Mohammed Shahabuddin and Lok Jan Shakti Party MP from Ballia, Suraj Bhan, have also got bail to participate in the trust vote. They are expected to go with UPA.

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