Jayant Chaudhary, Kapil Sibal & Deve Gowda Didn't Vote on Delhi Services Bill. Why It's Not Just About 3 Votes for INDIA

On Monday, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of opposition was supposed to get 105 votes in the Rajya Sabha during the voting on the contentious Delhi Services Bill, for which even a visibly frail 90-year-old former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh came in a wheelchair.

However, when the results were out, it had secured 102 votes.

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Chief Chaudhary Jayant Singh, Samajwadi Party (SP)-supported independent candidate Kapil Sibal and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) supremo and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda gave it a miss, raising questions and leading to political theories.

RLD ALLIANCE TALK REVIVED

Chaudhary’s absence is not just about a vote for the opposition bloc, it resurrects the buzz of a possible RLD-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year, which the RLD chief had earlier put to rest.

While the young Jat leader was said to be absent due to “unavoidable work", it has certainly unsettled the opposition bloc. It already does not have the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) — an important Dalit-based party from Uttar Pradesh – in the group and the prospect of losing one from the most populous state is not something INDIA wants to encounter.

Moreover, adding fuel to the fire was the BJP’s recent constitution of ‘Team Nadda’, where almost all communities — Vaishya, backward, Thakur, Brahmin, Muslim — found representation, barring Jats. Although just 2% of the state’s 20 crore population, they constitute 30% to 35% of the population in 25 constituencies in Western Uttar Pradesh, which makes them indispensable. The wider belief is the BJP is confident that Chaudhary, who is carrying the legacy of his grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh and has a command over the community, is going to side with the BJP in the upcoming general elections.

SIBAL’S ‘RELATIONSHIP’ WITH CONGRESS, GOWDA’S WITH MODI

Kapil Sibal, in spite of being an independent MP, won the Rajya Sabha seat with the support of the SP, after he walked out of the Congress last year. When he left the Congress, Sibal had said, “You must be wondering how one can leave the Congress after 31 years. There must be something. Sometimes, such decisions are to be taken."

Sibal was the face of the Congress’s rebel group G-23 and his exit was not on sweet terms. Many believe the crack is yet to be healed.

On the other hand, Sibal’s absence from the upper house raises a question for Akhilesh Yadav, whose party stood with the opposition bloc on the issue of the Delhi Services Bill. Particularly, Sibal was absent on a day Yadav’s wife Dimple was present in the Lok Sabha.

Deve Gowda, who was also absent, cited ill health. A hurried press note released on Monday stated that his hip pain doesn’t allow him to sit for long. However, interestingly, it added that he will be back in action from Wednesday, if his pain subsides.

It is no secret that Gowda and PM Modi share a close bond in spite being political opponents.

In a 2021 press conference, Gowda made his “respect" for PM Modi public. “I had told him that if you win 276 seats, I will resign. You can rule by forging an alliance with others, but if you win 276 seats on your own, I will resign (from Lok Sabha)," Gowda had narrated in a press conference.

But when Gowda wanted to fulfill his promise, Modi asked him not to take electoral barbs seriously. The two met multiple times and photos of PM Modi assisting the 90-year-old speak for the chemistry between the two. Even recently, he refused to reply to Modi’s “private limited" jibe.

No wonder, the BJP isn’t losing a minute to question the formidability of INDIA bloc.

BJP’s IT Cell in-charge Amit Malviya told News18, “What did you expect? The opposition is crumbling even before it takes shape. It is an alliance of convenience and the coming together of dynastic leaders who only want to preserve their political turfs. They have nothing to do with India’s development and prosperity."