The last minute entry of political novice from Gujarat Preeti Mahapatra as independent candidate with BJP support for the Rajya Sabha elections in UP, has created a worry for Congress candidate and ex-Union Minister Kapil Sibal who still requires five more votes even if all 29 party MLAs remain loyal to the party and cast vote in his favour on June 11. If nomination papers of all 12 candidates are found valid after scrutiny today, polling will be held on June 11 to fill 11 vacant seats of the Rajya Sabha from UP. Had Preeti Mahapatra not entered in the fray, Sibal would have been certain of a Rajya Sabha seat because voting is not necessary when there are 11 candidates for 11 seats. In the next 10 days, Mahapatra, who is the wife of a millionaire businessman and has contacts with BJP's top brass including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to leave no stone unturned to 'convince' MLAs of other political parties and independents to vote in her favour. She has 11 votes in her favour but needs another 23 to win. While, the top leadership of the Congress in Dehli is also monitoring the situation, Sibal will have to keep his fingers crossed till results of the polling are declared. According to sources in the BJP and SP, the situation is uneasy for Sibal because some Congress MLAs are in touch with leaders of the BJP and SP. Sibal would expect help from the Mayawati led BSP that had recently supported the Congress in Uttarakhand’s floor test to defeat 'communal forces' (BJP). But the BSP is yet clarify who its 12 MLAs will vote for. SP has fielded seven candidates and its seventh candidate is still short of 10 votes, after the expulsion of one party MLA Rampal Yadav who has signed on nomination paper of Preeti Mahapatra as proposer. It may look for BSP support too. “SP and RLD leaders are in talks for a pre-poll alliance ahead of the 2017 assembly elections. Ajit Singh has recently met Mulayam Singh Yadav. It this situation, SP is hopeful of getting its seventh candidate in with the support eight RLD MLAs and other independents like Raghuraj Pratap Singh, and two Peace Party MLAs who have announced to vote for SP,” said a Congress leader. Sibal is parachute candidate for Congress leaders in UP, and the responsibility to ensure his win lies with the party's leadership in Delhi.
