With the BJP supporting Independent candidate Preity Mahapatra for the Rajya Sabha (RS), Congress candidate and former Union Minister Kapil Sibal could be in trouble.
The total vacant RS seats for which election will be held are 11. The seventh RS candidate of the Samajwadi Party (SP) could also feel the heat if the Independent candidate is able to garner support from Independent MlAs and spare votes of other parties.
For each Rajya Sabha seat, a candidate will require 34 first preferential votes to get elected while for the Council, an aspirant will need 29 first preference votes.
The Congress, with a strength of 29 MlAs in the Assembly could easily win the Council seat, but its RS candidate would need five additional votes. The ruling SP can win seven RS and eight Council seats with 229 members in the 404-member Assembly, including one nominated member.
The seventh RS candidate of SP would need nine additional votes to win and three additional votes for its eighth candidate for the legislative Council.
The BJP will have no problem in winning one seat each in the RS and the Council as it has 41 members in the Assembly. However, it will have to manage 17 votes for its second Council candidate.
Similarly, the BSP would easily win both RS seats with 12 spare votes while for the Council seats it would need seven additional votes.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari accused the BJP of vitiating the poll process by pushing the 12th candidate thus preparing ground for horse-trading of MlAs.
"The BJP's real face stands exposed and it seems to be a trailer before the Assembly polls when they are sure to force corruption and horse-trading," said Tiwari.
The nominated member of the Assembly from the Anglo-Indian community can vote only for the Council polls. While a party can issue a whip for voting for RS seats, it can not do so for the Council as it is through secret ballot.