Click to play videoNew Delhi: In what may be called some relief to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chief Shibu Soren is gradually being isolated by his own party Members of Parliament (MPs).
Sources have told to CNN-IBN that four of the five MPs have told the party boss Soren that they can’t vote with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The four MPs who have refused to support the NDA, say that the BJP is JMM's main rival in Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, JMM Chief Whip Teklal Mahto told CNN-IBN, “We will vote for UPA on July 22. No difference between us. JMM is united and we are against communal forces.”
Although with the MPs backing out, it seems that the Congress may not have to offer Shibu Soren a ministerial berth to muster his support.
Both UPA and NDA have been trying to woo Soren, who has emerging as one of the most important players in the high stake drama.
The JMM Chief has so far kept his cards close to his chest. However, on Friday when CNN-IBN tracked him down, he said that the NDA had offered him the Jharkhand Chief Ministership.
And Soren wanted the Congress to do the same for him to support the Government. On Friday, the party's Chief Whip Teklal Mahto had also hinted that he would go with the UPA, if some conditions were met.
“I will support the UPA. My demand is that Coal India HQ and DVC HQ should be in Ranchi and all roads should have four or six lanes," said Teklal Mahto.
Teklal Mahto had earlier denied any knowledge on NDA's offer of Chief Ministership to JMM supremo Shibu Soren.
Jharkhand Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto had earlier said that the five-member JMM parliamentary party was united and a decision on voting on July 22 trust vote would be taken on Saturday.
The Big Picture
There are 258 MPs FOR the Government as of now, 264 AGAINST and 19 are UNDECIDED. So the Government needs support of the 14 of the 19 undecided MPs to gain the trust vote.
If the numbers are not matched, the Government would need 6-8 MPs to abstain during the Vote of Confidence motion so that the halfway mark comes down to somewhere around 267.
The BJP's biggest worry at the moment seems to be the fact that three to four of its MPs may abstain.
Meanwhile, the small parties are also staying away from the BJP due to regional compulsions.
Countdown to the trust vote: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9
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