The government, which won the FDI vote in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, is likely to win the same in Rajya Sabha also following the support of BSP and a possible walkout by the SP. The House will vote on the motion moved by AIADMK member V. Maitreyan on Friday. In the House of 245 members the magic figure is 123. The Congress-led UPA has a strength of 88 members in the House. Adding the 10 votes of nominated members and 15 of BSP members to the UPA votes the figure swells up to 113. But this figure would actually be 112, as star Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who is a nominated member of the Upper House, is presently playing the Test match against England and so would not be able to vote. If the SP, which has nine MPs, abstains from voting, the task of the UPA government will become much easier, as the halfway mark will reduce to 118. It is understood that the government is also counting on the support of parties such as RJD (2) and LJP (1) to increase its numbers. The UPA strategists aren’t taking any chances and are also likely to enlist the support of Independents (7). With these numbers on its side, the UPA government is likely to sail through. The going could have been tough for the government in Rajya Sabha if the BSP, with a strength of 15 members, did not come out openly to back the FDI decision. With the support of regional parties of the Hindi heartland, which have bailed out the UPA government in the past as well, the Opposition move on FDI in retail is most likely to be defeated. Several of these parties had also come to the rescue of the ruling coalition during the recent presidential and vice-presidential polls wherein their support proved crucial for the victory of the official UPA candidates.
