BJP leaders like Pramod Mahajan and Kushabhau Thakre herded 96 MLAs at the Gandhi Ashram and got them to take a pledge before the status of Mahatma Gandhi that they will stick to the party. Mehta also claimed the support of three other legislators including the speaker H L Patel who is laid up in a hospital.
Among them was Kashiram Rana, former chief of the Gujarat unit of BJP who is known to be close to Sankarsinh Vaghela, the party rebel who has formed the Rashtriya Janata Party. But political observers feel that Rana's presence at the ashram was in itself no guarantee that his supporters would vote for the government at the trial of strength.
One aspect of the situation prevailing in Gujarat is the creation of another party called the Mahagujrat Janata Party led by former industry minister Dilip Parikh. This outfit supports the RJP in what is clearly an attempt by Vaghela to distance himself from the politics of defection.
In another development, the Gujarat High Court stayed a move by the BJP leadership to disqualify 12 MLAs from membership of the state assembly. These MLAs have been recently expelled from the BJP for joining hands with Vaghela.
The court judgment will ensure the presence of the suspended MLAs in the House and make it difficult for the BJP government to sail through the confidence motion.
The Congress-I has also swung into action and issued a whip to all its members to remain present in the Assembly in order to defeat the Mehta government on the floor of the House.
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The BJP is claiming the support of 99 out of 180 members in the assembly. If the BJP's claim is taken at face value, there are 81 MLAs opposed to the continuance of the government.
Since the difference is 18, a shift in the loyalty of nine MLAs from the BJP to the opposition will result in the defeat of the government.
What makes the BJP's claim dubious is the fact that it has been able to parade only 18 of the 46 party MLAs who are believed to have written to the Governor and the Speaker expressing distrust in the Mehta government.
On the other hand, the Parikh and Vaghela camps have remained steadfast in their claim that they have the support of 46 MLAs.
Political observers feel that the BJP's total support does not exceed 92 MLAs including the ailing Assembly Speaker. That leaves 88 legislators gunning for the government.
A shift of a mere 3 MLAs from the BJP camp to the opposition camp will mean the fall of the government.
This is what has made the situation ripe for all kinds of threats being handed out and high-pressure horse trading taking place in Gandhinagar.