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Uncertainty over SP-Congress tie-up for Rajya Sabha poll

Atiq Khan

Congress with 21 MLAs cannot win a seat on its own in U.P.

— Photo: Subir Roy

JUMP INTO FRAY: Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh (second from left) and parliamentary party leader Ram Gopal Yadav (centre) file papers for the Rajya Sabha elections in Lucknow on Thursday. Party president Mulayam Singh is at left.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and SP parliamentary party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Thursday filed their nominations for the November 21 Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Each of them filed two sets of papers before the Returning Officer and Principal Secretary to the Vidhan Sabha, Pradeep Dubey, here.

Professor Ram Gopal is the former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh’s cousin. Mr. Mulayam Singh — who accompanied both candidates — and the acting president of the State SP and his younger brother, Shivpal Singh Yadav, were among the 10 proposers of Mr. Amar Singh.

With a strength of 94 MLAs, the SP is assured of winning two seats considering that a candidate requires 36.48 (to be read as 37) first preference votes of the elected representatives to be declared winner. The SP’s effective voting strength is, however, 92. Two of its MLAs, Gauri Shankar and Dhani Ram Verma, have joined the Bahujan Samaj Party and are expected to vote for the ruling party candidates. But as no action has been initiated against the rebels by the parent party, they continue to be officially listed as SP members in the House.

After the allotment of 37 votes each for the two candidates (totalling 74), the SP will be left with an excess of 18 votes. It was anticipated that the SP will support a Congress candidate to ensure that the combine wins a third seat. The Congress with 21 MLAs cannot win a seat on its own. However, uncertainty prevailed over the SP and the Congress coming together for the Rajya Sabha polls, thanks to contradictory statements by Mr. Mulayam Singh and Mr. Amar Singh. While the SP president said his party would consider extending support to the Congress if it was sought, the general secretary asked why the Congress could not back the SP to ensure that it won a third seat.

Mr. Amar Singh said the Congress should repay a debt to the SP for ensuring the smooth passage of the nuclear deal and for saving the UPA government (during trust vote) in the Lok Sabha on July 22. The Congress should also reciprocate the SP’s gesture of transferring eight of its MLAs’ votes to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Amar Singh said the move was made at the behest of Mr. Mulayam Singh, and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were not informed of the decision.

Mr. Amar Singh said despite the SP’s magnanimity, the Congress poached three of its MLAs in Madhya Pradesh. Now by supporting the SP in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress could undo the wrong it did in Madhya Pradesh.

For Lok Sabha polls

On seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls, the SP general secretary said he was in constant touch with Ms. Gandhi, Dr. Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, with whom he had an hour-long talk on Tuesday. Mr. Singh refused to divulge the details.

Even if the talks failed, the SP would support Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Gandhi in Rae Bareli and Amethi, he said.

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