UP council polls may not be a replay of RS polls

LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to repeat its performance of the recent Rajya Sabha elections in the biennial election to 13 Vidhan Parishad seats despite the buzz that the party is working on a strategy to field an extra candidate.

As a candidate requires 29 votes to win a seat in Vidhan Parishad, the BJP and its allies with a combined strength of 324 in 402member assembly will win 11 out of 13 seats. A joint opposition can easily win the remaining two seats of the upper house.

“The prevailing party position in the assembly will ensure the BJP’s victory on 11 seats and the opposition may get the remaining two seats. We will, however, take a strategic decision on the issue at an appropriate time,” said UP BJP general secretary Vijay Pathak. The BJP is keeping a close watch on the developments as a formal announcement on the joint opposition contesting the Parishad polls is yet to be made.

A close scrutiny of polling in Rajya Sabha elections indicates that the effective strength of the Samajwadi Party (47) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (19) has been reduced to some extent after cross-voting by SP MLA Nitin Agarwal and BSP legislator Anil Singh. BSP’s Mukhtar Ansari and SP’s Hariom Yadav are in jail and did not cast their vote. The combined opposition with the Congress’s 7 votes is likely to be in a comfortable position to ensure the victory of two candidates of

the opposition parties.

Under such a scenario, the BJP may have to give a second thought to fielding an extra candidate. The party may consider supporting an Independent candidate. Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary exuded confidence that the SP, the BSP and the Congress would again contest the poll together.

BSP legislature party leader Lalji Verma said the party president Mayawati would take a call on the issue. Congress legislature party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu said the party high command would take the decision at an appropriate time.

“The Congress high command had decided to support the BSP candidate in Rajya Sabha elections. We will act as per the decision of the party high command in Vidhan Parishad elections too,” he said.