Lobbying in SP for UP Council tickets; BSP to lose majority

Hectic lobbying is on in ruling Samajwadi Party for getting ticket for Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, where main opposition BSP is all set to lose majority with term of eight of its members expiring later this month.
As all the eight seats falling vacant will be in the 'nominated' category, SP would be able to ensure facile victory of its representatives in these seats, thanks to its strength in the Lower House.
SP has 224 members in the 403-member Assembly.
Though the final list of candidates will be approved by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, the names doing the rounds include SP state secretary SRS Yadav, Jitendra Yadav, a close relative of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, youth leaders Anand Bhadauria, Nafees Ahmad and Sunil Yadav, SP state women wing chief Gita Singh, besides Jawed Abidi and Ujjwal Raman Singh, son of senior SP leader Reoti Raman Singh.

After retirement of eight BSP members, Mayawati-led party will no longer enjoy majority in the Legislative Council and be able to block passage of Bills.
BSP's strength in the 100-member Upper House will come down to 46 from 54 now, thus reducing the party to minority status in the Council.

Presently, bills that could not be passed in the Council because of hurdles created by BSP had to be referred to the Select Committee for a way out.
BSP MLCs whose term will expire next month include Kamlakant Gautam, Gopal Narain Mishra, Naushad Ali, A L Tomar, Medhraj Singh, Ramchandra Singh Pradhan, Vinay Shakya and Shivbodh Ram.

In the Council, SP has 26 members, BJP seven, Congress two, Teachers' Group five, Independent four, and RLD one, while one seat is vacant.
Though, BSP will no longer have majority, SP will have to wait till January 2016 to get majority in the House when biennial elections would be held for over three dozen seats.