With political support pouring in from all sides, the flamboyant liquor baron is all set for his second term in the Rajya Sabha
With political support pouring in from all sides, the flamboyant liquor baron is all set for his second term in the Rajya Sabha
Even as reports of horse-trading regarding Rajya Sabha polls slated for June 17 surfaced, UB chairman, Vijay Mallya has refuted charges of striking a clandestine deal with JD (S) in a bid to gain its support.
The BJP, on the other hand, has an excess of 18 votes after sending its two candidates N Venkaiah Naidu and Aayanur Manjunath to the Upper House of Parliament, is now considering Mallya's candidature.
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"We were weighing our options until now. But now it's almost certain that we will vote for Mallya," said a senior BJP leader.
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| The BJP, with an excess of 18 votes, is contemplating backing Mallya's candidature. |
Mallya, who entered as an independent candidate with the support of JD (S), needs 45 votes to win. While the JD (S) has 27 votes, Varthur Prakash, an independent MLA, has also decided to back him.
Needless to say, the BJP's extra votes will come handy. And if all goes well, the liquor baron will easily make his way to the Rajya Sabha for his second term.u00a0
Mallya was elected from the State Assembly to the Upper House in 2003.
This time, he faces a lesser-known face TV Maruthi, who is contesting the polls as a second candidate from the Congress. But, the Congress is not left with enough votes, after voting for union minister Oscar Fernandes.
When asked how Mallya was able to gather the support of JD (S) and BJP that are polls apart in terms of political ideology, his spokesperson offered no comments.
45Number of votes that Mallya needs to win the Rajya Sabha polls
2003
The year in which Mallya was elected to the Upper House the first time
