Mumbai: Twenty-nine MLAs from among independents and smaller parties whose votes were crucial in Rajya Sabha and legislative council elections this month are back in demand as the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s future remains uncertain. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to wrest power in Maharashtra following a rebellion by a group of Sena MLAs led by urban development minister Eknath Shinde.
In the 288-member lower house, 13 are independents while 16 are from smaller parties. Eight of the independents and about 10 members from smaller parties had stood by the MVA government during its confidence motion in November 2019 helping it win the motion by 169 votes. Six independents and two smaller party MLAs supported the opposition BJP taking its tally to 213.
If the revolt by Eknath Shinde paves the way for the BJP to form the government, the party will need the support of these smaller parties and independents. Of the smaller parties AIMIM, Samajwadi Party and CPI (M) are unlikely to side with the saffron party due to their ideological differences, but most of the other smaller parties may shift their loyalty to it.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has a single member in the house, had abstained from voting during the confidence motion, but it believably supported BJP in RS and council elections. Rashtriya Samaj Paksha and Jansurajya Paksha, with one member each, support the BJP.
The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi with its three members normally supports the ruling parties.
“Hitendra Thakur-led BVA has always been with the ruling parties irrespective of the party. The 3-member party had supported MVA initially, and will not hesitate to go with BJP if it forms the government. The party believably had sided with the BJP during recent elections. Similar is the stand taken by the independents who generally go with the ruling parties. Independents Geeta Jain and Vinod Agrawal had changed their initial stand and joined MVA after the confidence motion. So it is easier for the party in power to garner the support of smaller parties,” said a BJP leader requesting anonymity.
He pointed at the changed stand by Geeta Jain on Tuesday as she said that she will rethink the support to Sena.
Though BJP could garner the support of 113 MLAs during the confidence motion, the party could take the number to halfway mark of 145 with the help of these MLAs, besides the rebel group under Shinde.
According to the BJP insiders, about 20 of these independents and smaller party MLAs would stand by the BJP. “The Shinde-led group accounts for at least 25 MLAs, thus helping us to easily reach the magic number,” he said.
In the recently held RS polls, BJP polled 123 votes, against its assured number of 112 MLAs including eight independents and smaller party MLAs. The number went to 134 in the legislative council election held on Monday.
“But these numbers of votes in elections cannot be assumed to be the actual number of people supporting us on the floor of the house,” said Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil.
“Not only the MLAs from our own party, but even the ones from other parties and independents have faith in our leader Devendra Fadnavis. It is premature to say that we are forming the government, but appropriate steps would be taken if we see such an opportunity,” said party MP Dr Anil Bonde.