Uttar Pradesh: BJP hunts opposition MLCs to find berths for CM, 4 other minister

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Jul 29 2017 DH News: Having netted two SP and one BSP MLC, the BJP is attempting to poach more non-NDA members from the legislative council of Uttar Pradesh to find berths for chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his four other ministers.

BJP sources said the leadership is in talks to get on-board strongman and independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhayia post his close aide from SP Yashwant Singh resigning from the legislative council to join the NDA.

Both Rajya Bhayia and Singh were ministers in Akhilesh Yadav government. Apart from him, Bukkal Nawab has also quit the Upper House to align with the BJP.

The controversial Kunda MLA if agrees to become part of the NDA is likely to be made a minister in the Yogi government, this is the bait the BJP is offering him, party sources aware of the negotiations have said.

Rajya Bhayia was a minister is different BJP regimes represented by Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh. The party is also trying to woo expelled BSP MLC Naseemudin Siddiqui after the party’s Vidhan Parishad member Thakur Jaiveer Singh sent his resignation letter to thechairman of the House.

Since the party does want to risk going into polls again, it wants to bring the chief minister and four ministers into the legislative council with-in the prescribed six-month deadline to be a member of either of two Houses to remain in government ending on August 19.

While saffron clad Adityanath, who will have to give up his Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, prefers to contest assembly election, a section of the party leadership wants him to become an MLC so that he could concentrate on governance.

In the case of deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, the party is still undecided whether to continue him as the state minister, which means that he will have to quit as Phulpur MP and become either an MLA or an MLC or to bring him to the centre.
For second deputy CM Dinesh Sharma and ministers Swatantra Deo Singh and Mohsin Raja, who are not members of any of the two houses of the UP Assembly as of now, the party is thinking of adjusting them in Vidhan Parishad, said BJP sources. For that reason, the party is trying to win over MLCs from opposition parties.

BJP sources said Sports minister Mohsin Raja will replace Bukkal Nawab in the council. The floor managers of the BJP managed to pull Nawab to their side bargaining personal problem he was facing -- one of his shopping complex in Lucknow has been found to be illegal and may be demolished.

The opposition leaders sacrificing for the BJP’s sake will either be brought back to council when a vacancy arises in future or will be suitably accommodated, a party leader stated.

After getting a brute majority in the assembly, winning on its own 312 of total 403 seats, the BJP is eyeing Upper House in the bicameral legislature of the state which is heavily tilted towards the SP. The 100 member legislative council has just eight BJP members while SP has 66, BSP 10, Congress 2, RLD 1, independents 6, teachers 5 and one seat is vacant.