UP Rajya Sabha Election: Several SP MLAs In Touch With BJP, Cross-Voting Expected, Say Sources

While the polling will be held for 10 seats and victory is certain for 7 BJP and 2 SP candidates. The SP would have won three seats but by fielding one extra candidate, the saffron party has made the contest interesting.

New Delhi: A cross-voting is expected in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh as a number of Samajwadi Party MLAs are in touch with the Bharatiya Janata Party, sources have told Zee News TV. This development follows the reports of absence from a recent important Samajwadi Party meeting focused on Rajya Sabha voting strategies. Six Samajwadi Party legislators, including Amethi's Maharaji Devi, Pallavi Patel, Vinod Chaturvedi from Kalpi, and Pooja Pal from Kaushambi, failed to attend the meeting. Their absence has sparked concerns within the SP camp about the potential impact on the party's performance in the upcoming elections.

The absence of these key members, and the rumors of cross-voting, suggest a possible significant setback for the Samajwadi Party.

The voting for the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Sabha elections will be held today with the BJP making efforts to secure an additional seat. The competition primarily involves the BJP-led NDA and the Samajwadi Party (SP). While ten seats are up for grabs, there are a total of eleven candidates – eight from the BJP and three from the Samajwadi Party. While victory seems assured for seven BJP candidates and two from the Samajwadi Party, the main contest revolves around the tenth candidate, given that the BJP has nominated one additional candidate. Both parties are striving to gather the necessary votes for victory, as a candidate requires 37 votes to emerge as the winner.

The Number Game

In the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, there is a total of 403 seats out of which 4 seats are vacant. Thus, the current strength of the assembly is 399 legislators. For the BJP to secure a victory for their eighth candidate, they require the votes of 9 legislators. The NDA has a total of 288 legislators from BJP+ RLD+ Apna Dal(S)+ Nishad Party+ SBSP+ Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik). However, one legislator from the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) is in jail, reducing the BJP's count to 287 legislators. It is being speculated that BSP MP Ritesh Pandey, who recently joined the BJP, may bring his father Rakesh Pandey's vote to the BJP. Rakesh Pandey is a Samajwadi Party (SP) legislator. Therefore, the BJP needs the votes of 8 more MLAs.

On the other hand, for the Samajwadi Party to secure a win for their third candidate, they need just three votes. The SP and Congress together have a total of 110 legislators. Among them, two SP legislators, Ramakant Yadav and Irfan Solanki, are in jail. Thus, the SP requires the votes of 3 more legislators. If SP legislator Rakesh Pandey votes for the BJP candidate, then they will need an additional 4 votes. Cross-voting by the MLAs will play a crucial role in deciding the 10th winner as a victory for both parties without cross-voting will be challenging.

NDA:
1. BJP- 252
2. Apna Dal (S)- 13
3. Nishad Party- 6
4. SBSP- 6
5. Jansatta Dal- 2
6. RLD- 9

INDIA:
1. Samajwadi Party- 108
2. Congress- 2

Others-
1. BSP- 1
2. Vacant- 4