BJP looks for secret route to favourable ballot
6 Sept 2014 5:51 AM IST
According to sources, senior BJP and RSS leaders find this route to be very safe as a last attempt to form government, failing which the assembly would be dissolved and fresh elections held.
‘There is an option of secret ballot in which the MLAs who vote against the diktat of their parties cannot be identified and have immunity against anti-defection law,’ said Satish Upadhayay, Delhi BJP president. He said, ‘I had meetings with union home minister Rajnath Singh and union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and some senior leaders of my party. The political developments in the city were discussed in the light of the report of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sent to President Pranab Mukherjee,’ said Upadhayay.
If secret ballot is followed, MLAs engaged in cross voting will not be covered by party whip and not lose membership of the house. According to sources, Upadhayay will meet BJP’s national president Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss the issue. The RSS leaders are also closely monitoring the development in the city.
‘This would be a good route. If the house elects a leader as chief minister he should be allowed to form and run the government. Otherwise, we are ready for elections,’ said a first-time BJP MLA. If the president agrees to this route, BJP could also save one more awkward position as it does not have leader of the legislative party.
If LG wants to invite BJP to form government, he will write a letter to the leader of the legislative party, the post which fell vacant after resignation of union health minister Harsh Vardhan in May. In the 70-member assembly there are 67 members out of which 29 are with BJP, 27 with Aam Aadmi Party (excluding the speaker), 8 with Congress and four others.
‘There is an option of secret ballot in which the MLAs who vote against the diktat of their parties cannot be identified and have immunity against anti-defection law,’ said Satish Upadhayay, Delhi BJP president. He said, ‘I had meetings with union home minister Rajnath Singh and union transport minister Nitin Gadkari and some senior leaders of my party. The political developments in the city were discussed in the light of the report of Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung sent to President Pranab Mukherjee,’ said Upadhayay.
If secret ballot is followed, MLAs engaged in cross voting will not be covered by party whip and not lose membership of the house. According to sources, Upadhayay will meet BJP’s national president Amit Shah on Saturday to discuss the issue. The RSS leaders are also closely monitoring the development in the city.
‘This would be a good route. If the house elects a leader as chief minister he should be allowed to form and run the government. Otherwise, we are ready for elections,’ said a first-time BJP MLA. If the president agrees to this route, BJP could also save one more awkward position as it does not have leader of the legislative party.
If LG wants to invite BJP to form government, he will write a letter to the leader of the legislative party, the post which fell vacant after resignation of union health minister Harsh Vardhan in May. In the 70-member assembly there are 67 members out of which 29 are with BJP, 27 with Aam Aadmi Party (excluding the speaker), 8 with Congress and four others.
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