Maya may face no-trust motion

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In a move that could upset the plans of the ruling BSP, the Samajwadi Party and the Bhartiya Janata Party are planning to bring separate no-confidence motions against the Mayawati government in the brief winter session of the state Assembly that begins on November 21.

Both the parties are basing their calculations on the fact that the BSP has denied tickets to nearly 43 MLAs who are now seeking fresh pastures and these legislators would not hesitate to dump the BSP on the floor of the house. The BSP, currently, has an effective strength of 221 in a house of 396 and would need the support of at least 199 legislators to cross the halfway mark.
According to Opposition calculations, the BSP’s strength would be much less if the disgruntled legislators decide to abandon the party on the floor of the house.
BJP leader Kalraj Misra told reporters in Jagdishpur on Wednesday that his party was toying with the idea of bringing a no-confidence motion against the Mayawati government since the law and order situation had collapsed in the state and corruption was at its peak.
A senior Samajwadi leader, who spoke to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, said that the party has worked out its Assembly mathematics and would take the final decision on the no-confidence motion very soon.
“Around 50 MLAs of the ruling party are in touch with us and along with support from other Opposition parties, we can easily defeat this government on the floor of the house. It is amply clear that Ms Mayawati does not have the numbers needed to survive inside the House. However, we will coordinate with other parties before taking the decision,” he said.
Both SP and BJP are keen to scuttle the Mayawati government’s resolution on division of UP and moving a no-confidence motion against the government would automatically put the BSP on the defensive, especially when the party is uneasy about its numerical support.
The Samajwadi Party has 88 legislators while the BJP has 48 and the Congress has 20 and RLD has 10.
The Opposition also enjoys the support of 5 Independents which takes the combined Opposition strength to 171.
The motion would get passed only if some BSP legislators either abstain or join the Opposition.
Meanwhile, a senior BS minister said that chief minister and the party were aware of the plans of the Opposition for the winter and were evolving a “foolproof strategy” to counter their designs.