The Congress has begun to make a strategy for the ensuing Vidhan Sabha session, keeping in mind the internal squabbling in the BJP.
The Vidhan Sabha is going to start from July 20. The budget session will be only for five days because of the corona pandemic. Besides discussing the budget, the members of the House will elect the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker in this session.
The Congress may demand voting during the elections of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and passing of the budget.
Because of the resentment in the BJP, the Congress is planning to field its candidate for the post of Speaker.
After the expansion of ministry, the SP, BSP and independent legislators who are supporting the BJP government have begun to gnash their teeth. These legislators supported the BJP candidates during the Rajya Sabha elections.
The Congress has 92 members in the House. If the party gets the support of SP, BSP and independent legislators, it may muster the support of 99 law-makers. Against this background, if only four MLAs from the BJP do cross-voting, the Congress may get the Speaker’s post.
The Congress is getting ready for it. BJP legislator Gopilal Jatav has voted for party candidate Digvijaya Singh.
Two BJP legislators Narayan Tripathi and Sharad Kol voted in favour of Congress in connection with a Bill. Though these people are in the BJP camp after the party’s return to power, their role is not above board.
Many BJP legislators are angry for being kept out of the ministry. Besides, the resentment of the law-makers from Vindhya and Mahakaushal is apparent.
Since the fall of the Congress government, its leaders have been saying that some BJP legislators are in touch with them, and they will vote for the party in the House. Five BJP law-makers were in the touch with the Congress at that time.
The BJP had information about it. Therefore, the party pulled out all the stops to keep its legislators together. They, however, could not gather enough courage to go to the Congress because 22 MLAs of Jyotiraditya Scindia group crossed over to BJP.
Some of them expected ministerial berths after BJP’s return to power. As they have been kept out of the cabinet, they are unhappy.
A few Congress leaders are, nevertheless, against engineering any split in the BJP. They are waiting for the by-elections. A former minister Govind Singh said the party would take a decision on fielding a candidate for Speaker’s post.
Singh further said he was personally opposed to fielding any candidate for the post of Speaker and to engineer split in the BJP.
