The going is good for the United Progressive Alliance in the satta market as betting on the survival of the government is getting a fat return compared to against it.

The rate is 3.2 or 3,200 if you bet against the Congress party as it officially does not have 271 votes to win the trust vote in the Parliament.

In layman terms, if you invest Rs 3,200 (the minimum amount the satta market accepts betting is in figures of Rs 10,000 above) you will get Rs 10,000 as soon as the voting happens. This means the returns is three times.

And if you bet in favour of the NDA-UNPA, you will only get Rs 2,700 if you bet Rs 10,000.

According to sources, the satta market is heavily at odds with the UNPA and the BJP move to bring down the government even though the UPA does not have the required numbers.

Given the strength of 541, it needs 271 to sail through. But sources in the satta market said both the sides are indulging in horse trading to ensure that they turn up to vote in their favour.


Bookies vote for the govt

"It is very confident that it will win the confidence vote. The BJP does not stand a chance," a marketer said inviting this correspondent to invest in the prime rate.

The satta racket, the dealer said, was controlled by people sitting in Mumbai and he himself was dealing with Rs 2 crore upwards. "There are hundreds like me. No one can give an exact amount but it must be to the tune of over Rs 2,000 crore," he said.

BJP not keen

With 263 votes in its kitty, the UPA was oozing with confidence of getting the vote in its favour as it banked on the defections and absenteeism of the opposition members.
"The 263 votes would be enough for the government to get a vote of confidence," said a Congress leader.

The UPA chances are bolstered by defection of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to the SP and possibly two other MPs from Rajasthan may also bring the BJP's count down.

However, given three more votes - two defections of JD (U) members (P Koya and Ramswaroop Prasad) and one from Shiv Sena Tukaram Renge Patil, the UPA gets 266, still short of the majority by five.

But sources say, around five to six BJP members would abstain from voting due to ill health or other vague reason or cross the floor.

According to sources, the Intelligence Bureau has told the government that the BJP has lost its attack and the leaders were not keen to see the rise of Mayawati over the stature of Opposition leader L K Advani.

"This has happened after the UNPA floated the name of UP CM Mayawati. The BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani got a jolt from the blue and since then has not mounted any vigorous attack on the UPA. On Sunday, when Mayawati was meeting H D Deve Gowda and other leaders, Advani was at a small time function regarding senior citizens in Delhi," the source said .

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadekar said the vote of confidence has thrown up one thing that all the candidates from all parties have realigned to get ticket to contest elections.

Meek attack

In the Lok Sabha, Advani mounted a meek attack on the government. He stuck to his Hindutva agenda and questioned the need to go ahead with the N-deal. Advani said the party was not opposed to the deal but it wanted equality with the other N-members.

However, party RS member Arun Jaitley explained at length how the party would not be affected by the rise of Mayawati. "UNPA and Mayawati are effective in WB, Kerala, AP, Haryana and UP. It will affect us only little bit in Haryana. In UP, we will work something out."