Will BJP's big gamble pay off?
Hyderabad/New Delhi: The uncertainty in Maharashtra politics is unlikely to end before Friday. "Will BJP's big gamble pay off?" This is the big question before the saffron party now and what would be its counter move to the parading of 162 MLAs by the Sena-NCP-Congress combine on Monday."
The fact remains that the BJP at this point of time does not have absolute majority in the yet to be constituted Maharashtra Assembly.
Ajit Pawar who was managing the NCP for over five years and has played a key role in the selection of 30 party candidates who won, has defected and joined the BJP bandwagon.
What stand will these 30 MLAs take is something that needs to be carefully watched though a majority of them claim to be with Pawar camp. What is interesting is that so far Ajit Pawar has neither been suspended nor expelled from the NCP.
BJP sources claim that they are sure of their mathematics and the NCP would split during the floor test. It is also being said that while about 30 would go with Ajit Pawar, some may violate the whip and abstain from the floor test.
If the NCP or for that matter any of the Congress or Sena MLAs keep away from voting, the effective strength of the Maharashtra will come down to as low as 240. This will bring the half-way mark to 120.
The BJP also claims that apart from its 105 MLAs, about 29 from the NCP will vote in its favour and it has a letter of support from another 10 MLAs or so and hence they will win the floor test.
A recap BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy in a tweet referred to the 1991 trust vote where though the Congress government led by PV Narasimha Rao was in minority, it never lost the floor test.