Regional parties may set tone of session
Regional players could set the tone of the Budget Session of Parliament, beginning next week, against the backdrop of talk of a mid-term poll.
While regional parties are ruling Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Punjab, Orissa and Tripura, electing 237 members to the Lok Sabha, they are key players in Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir governments as well.
The BJP may be the main Opposition in the two Houses of Parliament but it will be the Samajwadi Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Trinamul Congress, the BJD, the NCP, the AIADMK which could play an important role on the floor along with the TDP, the Shiromani Akali Dal and others on certain issues.
According to UPA sources, even the DMK (18) can take an independent stand on certain issues despite being part of the government.
The party has not been on getting two Cabinet-rank ministries kept vacant after the resignation of A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran.
They said this could compel the floor managers to keep the BSP (21 members in the Lok Sabha), Left (24), RJD (4), JD-S (3), one-member parties (13) and Independents (nine) in good humour.
Meanwhile, although Trinamul Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is said to have reportedly ruled out rocking the UPA boat and force mid-term elections, sources said her party had changed its stance several times on various issues despite backing it in the Union Cabinet.
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