Bengal BJP in a spot over joining ‘lose-lose’ RS race

Kolkata: The Bengal BJP is in a bind over joining the “lose-lose” race for the Rajya Sabha from Bengal when the ruling Trinamool is far ahead of the former in the assembly. The BJP also runs the risk of “cross-voting” on the assembly floor that might add to its embarrassment.
Bengal BJP leaders have thus left it to the party’s central leaders to take a call on fielding a nominee against Trinamool candidate Jawhar Sircar, a former Prasar Bharati CEO, in the elections to the Upper House.“We have not discussed this issue with our leadership yet,” state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said on Saturday.
Trinamool, with 213 MLAs, has an equal number of first preference votes and is ahead in the race against 75 BJP MLAs in the assembly. This leaves little room for an honourable contest. In addition, BJP can’t rule out “cross-voting” on the day of the Rajya Sabha bypoll, given the claims by Mukul Roy.
A slide in the BJP tally by 6-8 from the existing 75 (including Roy) may rub salt into the party’s injury when leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari has announced he will move court seeking disqualification of MLA Roy after he joined Trinamool on June 12 in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
While a section of BJP MLAs will like the party to field a candidate and “lay a trap” for Roy, the scheme isn’t likely to work. BJP seniors admit that a party can’t issue a “whip” in Rajya Sabha polls; it can at best issue instructions to party MLAs that have no bearing on their voting decision.
Senior officials in Election Commission said any member “defying the party instruction” won’t attract disqualification under 10th Schedule of the Constitution. “The party may take disciplinary action against the MLA in the event of his defying party instructions,” an EC official said.
There is also a problem for the BJP legislature party in issuing instructions to its MLAs asking them to vote for a particular candidate. BJP assembly chief whip Manoj Tigga will then have to decide whether to issue such instructions to Roy when Adhikhari has already lodged a complaint with the assembly speaker saying Roy is no more with the party.
The Bengal BJP didn’t even recommend Roy’s name, in its list of six party MLAs to the Speaker, for inclusion as a member of Public Accounts Committee, one of the most prestigious assembly standing committees. This apart, six to eight BJP MLAs are in touch with Trinamool. A “cross-voting” on the assembly floor would only expose chinks in BJP’s armour.