Mayawati's Party Man Cross-Votes For BJP, Says "I Am With Maharajji (Yogi Adityanath)"

Lucknow:  Mayawati's struggle for one Rajya Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh became tougher as one of her own party men cross-voted for the BJP-backed candidate. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Anil Singh boasted about his act of betrayal, declaring, referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath: "I am with Maharajji."

The contest in one of 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh was set to go down to the wire as the BJP worked to upstage the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati, who joined forces to defeat  the ruling party in two of its key parliamentary strongholds.

There are 11 candidates for 10 Rajya Sabha seats and 37 first preference votes are needed for each seat. The BJP has enough lawmakers - over 300 - to win eight seats comfortably. The Samajwadi Party has 47 lawmakers, enough to win one seat. Mayawati's party needs 19 votes to win one Rajya Sabha seat. As part of a deal that helped the Samajwadi Party (SP) win the two BJP seats where bypolls were held earlier this month, Mayawati's candidate is to get the surplus SP votes.

But the BJP, out to avenge its bypoll defeat, has made it a fight by supporting an independent candidate. It has 28 extra votes to aim for a ninth seat, and needs nine more to win.
 Seven Congress lawmakers went in a large group and voted early for BSP's Bhim Rao Ambedkar.  

Mayawati's lone candidate has a long way to go.

"There is no cross-voting. It was a decision taken by the party president (Rahul Gandhi). We are fully united and this election will strengthen the entire opposition," said Congress lawmaker Aradhana Mishra.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao are among the BJP candidates guaranteed to win. The Samajwadi Party has fielded actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan in the one seat it is sure to win.

The BJP's ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) - which is upset with Yogi Adityanath - has pledged the support of its four lawmakers after being placated by BJP president Amit Shah. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) with nine legislators has also decided to vote for BJP nominees.

With the Samajwadi's eight, Congress's seven and another vote from Ajit Singh's RLD, the BSP will still need three more votes. Two independent lawmakers, including Raja Bhaiyya - who was once jailed by Mayawati - has promised to support the BSP. It still has a deficit of one vote. With a BSP vote going to the BJP, the party now stands two votes short.

If the Samajwadi Party prioritises its deal with Mayawati for the bypolls - which could set the stage for a larger alliance for the 2019 national election between the rivals - Akhilesh Yadav may get his lawmakers to send Mayawati's nominee to the Rajya Sabha. In that case, SP's own candidate Jaya Bachchan faces a challenge.

Samajwadi lawmaker Nitin Agrawal is expected to cross-vote for the BJP. His father Naresh Agarwal recently switched from SP to BJP after being passed over for Jaya Bachchan.

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The country's most populous state sends 31 members to the 245-member Rajya Sabha, and the BJP, which won a massive victory in the 2017 Assembly elections, is yet to get a lion's share of these.

On Thursday, the Samajwadi Party, BJP and Mayawati held final rounds of meetings and dinners in Lucknow to consolidate their lawmakers.