Uttar Pradesh legislators are voting to pick up 10 Rajya Sabha members today, and many hidden messages can be unravelled from what they are doing and saying.
First off, Kunda MLA and Jansatta Dal president Raghuraj Pratap Singh, who is fresh off a meeting with the Samajwadi Party, made it clear that his vote was for the BJP. Singh is a significant player because he has remained undefeated in his region. In the forthcoming closely contested Lok Sabha polls, where every single seat counts, no risks can be taken.
Rakesh Pratap Singh, SP MLA from Amethi, said that he would listen to the ‘inner conscience’ while voting.
Manoj Kumar Pandey, the chief whip of the Samajwadi Party, resigned on Tuesday morning from his post. When quizzed about how he would vote, Pandey said, “If I voice it, where is the sanctity of the vote?” Pandey had also been a no-show at the SP meeting ahead of the polls where the party is expected to win two seats.
Om Prakash Rajbhar of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, an ally of the BJP, said, “Some SP members will cross vote openly, some covertly. They have understood that the ground beneath the feet of their leaders has shifted and thus are more concerned about saving their own futures”.
SP’s most significant ally has already made it clear that it will vote for the BJP - some RLD legislators came wrapped in saffron to drive home the point.
There are also reports that Pallavi Patel of Apna Dal (K), which is an SP ally, had a heated exchange with SP chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav over the Rajya Sabha polls. One of the points of contention was the ticket to Jaya Bachchan yet again, when her husband was present at the Pran Prathistha ceremony on January 22. Sources said that Yadav told Patel that the party did not need her vote.
On his part, Yadav said, “Those who dig holes for others sometimes fall into those very holes,” referring to the recent mayoral polls in Chandigarh. He also said that those in his party who were looking for benefits would go to the BJP as it could go to any extent to ensure its victory.
