Lok Sabha Speaker Election: BJP Gets 4-MP Boost From YSRCP

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) will support BJP MP Om Birla in Wednesday’s election for the Lok Sabha Speaker’s post, sources told media on Tuesday evening.

The YSRCP, which was heavily defeated by its arch-rival TDP in the general election, has only four MPs in the Lower House.

The party had swept the southern state in the 2019 polls, winning 22 out of 25 seats, but a repeat this year proved impossible.

Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, which also won the Assembly election, secured 16 seats, while its allies – the BJP and actor Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party – won five seats between them.

Readmore!

Although the YSRCP’s offer of support may not be crucial – since Mr. Birla and the BJP already have the numbers to ensure victory – it highlights a recent trend.

The YSRCP has frequently backed the BJP in Parliament, particularly in the Rajya Sabha, and helped it pass laws when it lacked the numbers.

For example, in the previous government, Jagan’s party supported the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the scrapping of Article 370.

The additional four votes from the YSRCP mean that Mr. Birla will have the support of 297 MPs, giving him an even more decisive lead.

The BJP already has 240 votes from its own MPs and 53 from NDA partners, including the 16 from YSRCP’s rival, Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP.

In contrast, the opposition has 232 MPs in its corner.