Cong steps on trade mill to maintain vital stats

KING CONG? For the party, survival means convincing at least three blocks of smaller parties and Independents.

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Keywords: Ajit Singh, Shibu Soren

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has urged the JD(S) to vote for the UPA Government in Monday's trust vote.

The plea came just ahead of a meeting of the party top brass called by JD(S) chief Deve Gowda in Bangalore. The party has two MPs in Parliament, and their support is crucial for the Congress-led Government.

So far Gowda has refused to take sides and it is still not clear if he would ask his MPs to vote or abstain.

Meanwhile, the Congress will be closely watching the meeting because if Gowda decides to go with the Congress, it is assured that he will demand a hefty price.

The former prime minister is reportedly eyeing for a greater say in Karnataka politics, possibly through a seat-sharing agreement with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Some reports say that Gowda wants nationalisation of mines, which is a clear response to the growing clout of the BJP's MPs and MLAs in the iron ore rich Bellary area of Karnataka.

According to experts, a stronger BJP is something that Gowda cannot stand and this possibility has apparently convinced him that he should vote against the UPA Government.

"If there are any differences, we can sort them out. There is no deadline. I am not going to be for or against the nuclear deal. We are neither in the NDA nor in the UPA. We are on our own, " Deve Gowda said.

The other kingmakers

Shibu Soren's five Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MPs are suddenly in demand. For Soren it's almost deja vu of the infamous underhand deal of 1993, which he had struck with former prime minister Narasimha Rao to bail out a minority government.

Soren, predictably, has gone into hiding. He has been offered a portfolio in the Cabinet.

But the BJP plus JMM will have a clear majority in Jharkhand Assembly making it easier for him to be CM should he agree to back the NDA.