May 10, 1999

Why did Mayawati switch at the last minute?
A night when nobody slept. Three aeroplanes wait for Kanshi Ram and perhaps the Uttar Pradesh chief ministership for Mayawati? Arif, Dumpy and their 2.00 a.m. chat with Mayawati. The assurance from Pawar. And as the Lok Sabha fell silent came the order: "Lal dabao, press the red button."

The final tally -- 269 ayes and 270 nos -- left the Lok Sabha stunned. It was obvious that Mayawati and her four BSP colleagues hadn't abstained but had voted against the Vajpayee government. What happened between 11 the previous night and the actual vote?

For a despondent Congress stung by Chautala's return to the BJP fold, the operation began immediately after Mayawati concluded her speech. Arjun Singh began a hunt for the one person whose word was law in the BSP -- Kanshi Ram. Congress Spokesman Ajit Jogi had been talking to Mayawati throughout the afternoon and evening but had failed to deliver. It was time for the big boys to come in.

Before midnight, Arjun was on the phone to Kanshi, then camping in Patna. The BSP chief promised to return his call which he did in 20 minutes. His message was simple: Mayawati wasn't budging. Arjun persisted and finally persuaded Kanshi to return to Delhi by the next morning.

For the Congress, it was a hectic night. As MPs droned on till 5.30 a.m., partymen were in search of an aeroplane. Kamal Nath's Span Resorts aircraft was kept ready but Kanshi announced he would take the regular Alliance Air flight that reached Delhi at 9.40 a.m. Arjun's worry was that the government would get wind of it and delay the flight. So, as a standby, Rabri Devi's government aircraft was also kept ready.

Even as Kanshi's travel details were being negotiated, BSP MPs Arif Mohammed Khan and Akbar Ahmed "Dumpy" told Mayawati of their fears about the party's abstention. They informed her that their Muslim voters wouldn't take kindly to their tacitly propping up the BJP. Was this an indication that they would consider violating the whip? Mayawati, it would seem, thought so after checking with the Congress camp. She rang Arif and Dumpy at 2 a.m. to say their concerns would be kept in mind and that they should reach her residence by 9 a.m.

By then, the government side sensed something was afoot. Confirmation came in the early hours from a Congress source that the BSP was switching. Sonia had personally telephoned Mayawati and a deal had been struck. Calls were made by the BJP crisis managers to Arif but he indicated that no new instructions had been given. The government wasn't taking chances. At 10.30 a.m., Vajpayee spoke directly to Kanshi who had just reached Delhi on the regular flight from Patna. He too assured the prime minister that the BSP would abstain.

The government kept its fingers crossed. Kumaramangalam spoke to the BSP MPs shortly before the voting. According to one source, he told Mayawati she could be chief minister of Uttar Pradesh by the evening if she played ball. Sensing activity, leader of the Opposition Sharad Pawar rushed to her. The BSP leader wanted to know whether the government would fall if her party voted against it. Pawar said yes.

Then it was time to vote. As the Lok Sabha fell silent and members put their fingers on the electronic voting buttons, Mayawati barked, "Lal dabao (Press the red button)."

Why did the BJP-led government lose?
Why did Sonia claim support of 272 MPs?
Why did Mulayam say no to the Congress?
Why did the Congress veto Jyoti Basu?
Why was Vajpayee not invited again?

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