Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati convened a meeting of party legislators in Lucknow

| | Lucknow | in Lucknow

To ensure the victory of its candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati convened a meeting of party legislators in Lucknow on Thursdayevening. 

Besides drawing a strategy for the polls, each legislator was also coached for voting so that not a single vote was dismised as `invalid’ as the election is set to witness a close fight between thecandidates of BSP and BJP supported Independent respectively. 

While the BSP has fielded Bhimrao Ambedkar, the BJP has supported an independent Anil Agarwal from Meerut.

Mayawati summoned all 19 MLAs at her Mall Avenue residence along with BSP general secretary Satish Mishra and discussed ways to ensure the victory of its candidate. 

Sources said that Mishra has already asked Samajwadi Party to allot nine of their MLAs, who would vote for BSP’s candidate. 

The SP has fielded Jaya Bachchan. With 19 MLAs, the BSP is short of 18 first preference votes and with Naresh Agarwal’s son Nitin, who is still an SP MLA, likely to cross-vote in favour of the BJP, the BSP candidate’s task is onerous. 

BSP insiders said to be doubly sure of victory, Mayawati has sought a list of SP’s MLAs who would vote for her candidate. She is also banking on some Independent MLAs, who are yet to reveal their cards.  

Riding on the new bonhomie with the SP, Mayawati is banking on the nine surplus SP, besides seven votes of Congress and one of RLD to reach the magic figure of 37. BSP’s hope of winning the seat also got a boost when Independent MLA Raja Bhaiya declared his support to SP candidate Jaya Bachchan and said that he would try to convince another Independent MLA, Vinod Saroj to vote for Bachchan. This would facilitate two additional votes of SP to Maya’s candidate which could go a long way in facilitating his victory. 

Meanwhile Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Party leader, Ajay Kumar Lallu also hosted a lunch for party MLAs at a hotel in Gomati Nagar where senior SP and BSP leaders were also present on Thursday afternoon. The lunch was hosted to express opposition solidarity and cofnirm that all seven votes of Congress would go to BSP candidate. 

The Congress has already assigned state chief Raj Babbar and party MPs from Rajya Sabha Pramod Tewari, PL Punia and Sanjay Singh to be present during the voting to ensure that not a single MLA cross voted for independent Anil Agarwal.