Cornered into supporting the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is still waiting for them to arrive at the required figures to claim a majority in the Assembly. Senior leaders in the party point out that the Congress also is ready to sacrifice the post of the chief minister in the state to the coalition partners to later reach a consensus on the post of prime ministership at the Centre after the general elections. Partners in the loosely formed ‘secular coalition’ in UP are also not wasting any time in putting the onus on the Governor for reconsidering the majority of the Mayawati government. It is quite possible that in view of lack of the required numbers the Governor might not consider the case of the Opposition leaders, something which would give the coalition a face-saving. At the same time, such a decision by the Governor could also be detrimental for the coalition which would then have to wait for another four months to complete the stipulated six-month period before it can seek a no-confidence motion in the House. The coalition was made possible because of the Congress support to the idea of an alternative to Mayawati government. The party, looking to forming a coalition at the Centre after 2004 general elections, had to concede to the long-standing demand of the Samajwadi Party to come out in support of such a coalition. The 402 member strong UP Assembly is presently short of one member and the vacant Chiraigaon Assembly seat will go for by-polls on June 21. The minimum number required for a majority in the House at the moment is 201. The BSP-BJP coalition claims it has 212 MLAs. However, the coalition has only been able to muster up 180 MLAs till date, placing it way short of the required number. Of these, the SP has 142 MLAs, RLD has 14, Kalyan Singh’s Rashtriya Kranti Party has 4 and Congress has 16 MLAs. Four independents are also said to be keen on joining the coalition. Two senior Congress leaders, general secretary in-charge of UP Nawal Kishore Sharma and newly appointed Pradesh Congress Committee chief Jagdambika Pal are waiting for the ‘‘fluid situation’’ in the state to take shape. Sharma had met the Governor on Saturday last, along with Ajit Singh and Amar Singh, to stress for a rethink of the government’s majority in view of the withdrawal of support by RLD. In a situation where the party stands to lose nothing, the Congress is waiting and watching the Opposition leaders if they can manage the numbers.
