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BJP wants UP speaker to debar rebels from voting

In a bid to prevent ten Uttar Pradesh legislators, whose disqualification had been sought by the Bharatiya Janata Party, from casting their votes in the forthcoming bypoll for a legislative council seat, the party leadership was contemplating to approach the assembly speaker for debarring them from exercising their franchise.

"We are seeking legal opinion to get these ten legislators defranchised," BJP legislature group leader Lalji Tandon said.

Speaker Keshrinath Tripathi had, while issuing notices to the ten MLAs on Tuesday, said the BJP had not yet sought any interim order for restraining them from voting in the November 18 byelection.

Tripathi hinted that they could be debarred from voting in the council poll if such a request was made by the BJP.

"It is the discretion of the speaker to decide about passing any interim order on the petition," Tandon said.

The ten MLAs have been asked to file their replies by November 19, a day after the crucial election.

If the MLAs are able to vote in the bypoll then the dissidents' candidate, former minister Yashwant Singh who is locked in a straight contest with the ruling combine's nominee Munna Singh, might scrape through.

The BJP leadership fears that possible cross-voting by ten MLAs along with some other identified rebels in the BJP, BSP as well as the Rashtriya Lok Dal could take Singh's tally to 205 -- provided he gets all the opposition votes too -- while Munna Singh might get only 197 votes.

After seven independent MLAs had withdrawn support to the Mayawati government, its strength in the Vidhan Sabha had been reduced to 210.

On the other hand, if the ten are debarred from voting, Yashwant could expect only 195 votes, while the ruling combine's nominee would emerge victorious by receiving 197 votes.

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