UPA tally jumps to 314 as BSP, SP, some others extend support

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) UPA's tally in the new Lok Sabha
(Lower House of Indian Parliament) jumped by 53 Tuesday to
reach 314, far above the majority mark in the 545-member Lok
Sabha, as it received unexpected bonus in the form of support
from Bahujan Samaj Party as also from Samajwadi Party besides
some other groups and independents.

] BSP and SP, the two bitter rivals in northern state Uttar
Pradesh which fought elections against Congress in UP and
elsewhere, pledged their support saying that they want to
strengthen secular forces and to keep BJP out.

SP has 23 and BSP 21 members in the House in which the
UPA coalition has secured 261 seats on its own.

Besides these two parties, RJD with four MPs and JD(S)
with three MPs also conveyed their support to Congress-led
UPA. Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), whose lone
member Babulal Marandi, a former BJP leader, was elected also
extended its support to UPA.

Ghulam Hassan Khan, who won the elections from Ladakh as
an Independent, too pledged his support.
First, BSP supremo Mayawati announced her party's support
at the start of a meeting with her party leaders, saying Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh addressed her as "younger sister" and
urged her to adopt a positive attitude towards formation of
UPA government to strengthen secular forces.

She said BSP's National Executive and Parliamentary
Board, which met Tuesday morning, took the decision on giving
unconditional support to the government from outside.

Hours after the announcement, BSP's general secretary and
Mayawati's close associate S C Mishra met President Pratibha
Patil with the letter of party's support to UPA.

While Mayawati was announcing her support, SP General
Secretary Amar Singh met the President and handed over a
letter of support of the party's 23 MPs to the UPA Government.

SP had rescued the Congress-led Government last year
after the Left parties withdrew support to it on the nuclear
deal issue and parted ways with the Congress before the
elections.

SP contested the elections as part of the Fourth Front in
alliance with RJD and LJP.

"I have been authorised and directed by Mulayam Singh
Yadav, national President and Leader of the Samajwadi Party,
to offer our support for the formation of UPA government under
the leadership of Manmohan Singh," Amar Singh said in the
letter.

Amar Singh claimed that SP's support had been sought by
the Prime Minister. He, however, refused to specify whether it
would be issue-based or unconditional support.

Yadav had said yesterday in Mainpuri that his party was
ready to sit in the opposition. However, Amar Singh told
reporters later that SP would support the new government. PTI
TEAM