M&M walkout gives govt LS win, RS will be tougher 261 MPs Opposed FDI, But Only 218 Voted Against It

New Delhi: It was again the same sort of numbers mismatch which has the opposition tearing its hair out after each trial of strength with the UPA. In the contest in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday over the desirability of allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, parties accounting for 261 members took strong positions against the Manmohan Singh government's decision. Yet, when the vote was taken, only 218 votes could be counted in the anti-FDI column.      The UPA's serial rescuers—the SP and the BSP with 43 votes between them—again performed the role to the hilt. The two UP outfits which had slammed the FDI move on Tuesday predictably decided not to translate their rhetoric into action. They walked out of the House just before  the members were called to stand up and be counted, allowing the UPA to romp home with 253 seats with a total 471 members voting. A motion for amending the Foreign Exchange Management Act, an imperative for the implementation of the decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, was also passed by 30 votes.      The rescue act attracted the familiar allegation that Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati had let the fear of the CBI get the better of their aversion for Walmart, but reinforced the reputation of the UPA as an escape artiste that manages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat every time. Beginning with its win in the trust vote over the nuclear deal with the US, the UPA government has consistently defied numerical odds to pip its rivals to the post.  ...BUT IT WILL BE A CLIFFHANGER IN UPPER HOUSE      Rajya Sabha's strength: 244. BSP & SP have 24 (15 & 9) MPs. If they abstain, House strength down to 220, leaving majority mark at 111. NDA claims it has 110 votes. If that's so, UPA won't get majority in RS      But it's not as pat as that. Both sides scrambling to get support of MPs who are unattached (Amar Singh & BJD rebel Pyari Mohan Mahapatra) or independent (Rajeev Chandrasekhar & A B Swamy)      4 MPs supporting govt won't be there: Tendulkar will be playing cricket at Eden Gardens, while Murli Deora, Janardhana Reddy & Janardhan Waghmare are grounded due to ill health      Not known how 2 JMM members will vote. NDA camp's V N Singh of JD(U) won't attend because his daughter is getting married, while floater Parimal Nathwani's preference is not known