A poster where BJP’s national president Amit Shah figures, seeking three MlAs to form a BJP- led Government in Uttarakhand, has created flutters in the political circles of the State. Police are literally scratching their heads, wondering over at whose behest such posters have been pasted in Dehradun. Speculation are rife over who could be the trio from the Congress as being wooed by the saffron party. While this report was being filed the dissident MlAs were huddled together, discussing their future strategy vis-à-vis the political volatility, bit by bit. However, to lend the much-talked-about poster an ominous import, the BJP lodged an FIR against ex-CM Harish Rawat and the State Congress chief Kishore Upadhya on Saturday evening.
Intriguingly, nine dissidents MlAs- Vijay Bahuguna, Harak Singh Rawat, Subodh Uniyal, Amrita Rawat, Dr Shailendra Mohan Singhal, Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, Dr Shaila Rani Rawat, Umesh Sharma kau and Pradeep Batra- were shown in the mysterious poster as goats with the saffron party’s national president holding their reins. Its headline runs - BJP needs three saleable MlAs to form the government.
On Saturday morning, people on their morning walks were taken by surprise as their eyes fell on the posters extensively pasted along the city roads. Though they laughed they also wondered who could be the trio Shah was after. “Besides, it intrigues our curiosity as to who could have been behind the poster. It is clear it is meant to reflect the dissident MlAs and BJP in poor light. One can imagine whose product it is. But still things are murky as the present political scenario of the state is mired in thick mist with loyalty switching at benumbing pace,” said one of the elderly morning walkers.
Despite BJP apparently blaming Congress for the poster, the observers are not ruling out possibility of some BJP leaders-disgruntled at being elbowed out in the CM race-being behind the poster war.
However, taking things seriously, the renegade Congress MlAs are trying to figure out who the three MlAs could be that would jump side from Congress to tilt the numerical balance to the BJP in the Assembly against the hypothetical backdrop of the court upholding the Speaker’s disqualification ruling.
In case the court upholds the Speaker’s ruling disqualifying nine dissident MlAs, the effective strength of the House would come down to 62, including one nominated member. Currently, BJP has 28 MlAs, including the suspended MlA Bhim lal Arya, who has left none in suspense about his proximity to Harish Rawat. He defied the party whip on the crucial March 18 Assembly session by abstaining. The equations- supposing that nine MlAs would be disqualified- are that BJP needs 32 law makers to stake claim to form the government. If they manages to lure three more Congress MlAs away from their ranks the strength of the House would be further reduced to 59 following their disqualification too under anti-defection law and correspondingly, strength of Congress would dwindle to 24. If this scenario crops up the Governor would have no option but to invite BJP to form the government.
BJP hopes that the present crisis plaguing State Congress would deepen further, as at least a few of the six Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) MlAs who have so far stood by the Congress through thick and thin might jump the ship and switch to the saffron camp.
The hints are unmistakable as PDF leader Mantri Prasad Naithani gave Harish Rawat’s recent road show in Deoprayag a conspicuous miss.