Lucknow, March 1
Four BSP MLAs from the breakaway group, including two ministers, submitted their resignations to Governor T.V. Rajeswar and returned to their parent party today.

With this, the numbers game started here, shifting focus from the Speaker’s chamber to the Governor House.

Within 24 hours of the 2:1 Allahabad High Court verdict, setting aside the split and merger of 40 BSP MLAs, the situation in Lucknow became fluid.

A Congress delegation led by UPCC President Salman Khurshid and Congress legislative party leader Pramod Tiwari met the Governor, asking him to uphold the sanctity of the Constitution in the wake of the judgement.

According to Mr Tiwari, the judgement had caused a grave constitutional crisis.

He said two Judges had set aside the merger and split in the BSP.

He said this meant in practical terms that the MLAs were once again BSP members.

Mr Tiwari pointed out that BSP MLAs could remain in the government only if their national supremo Mayawati gave them permission or the party leader in the House allowed them.

In the absence of either, their participation in the government was technically unconstitutional, he pointed out.

Despite winning a misleading vote of no-confidence by 207 votes to nil yesterday, the SP-led government did not seem to be on safe ground.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohammad Azam Khan told mediapersons that the Speaker was in the process of collecting written letters of support from 234 MLAs.

“Letters from five SP MLAs lodged in jail have been received. Some of these 27 MLAs could not vote yesterday,” he pointed out.