Lucknow, July 10 (IANS) In an effort to keep all its flock together to ensure the UPA government wins a floor test in parliament, the Samajwadi Party has initiated a contact drive with its Lok Sabha members. While party general secretary Amar Singh has been assigned the task to pacify Beni Prasad Verma, Mulayam Singh Yadav is frequently calling up the discontented lot, both rebels and possible suspects.

Though the Samajwadi Party parliamentary board meeting Tuesday was attended by 29 MPs, Yadav had asserted that all its 39 MPs were united in favour of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

However, most of the absentees were loyalists who were not seen in the meeting for a variety of reasons.

They included Beni Prasad Verma, Raj Babbar and Atiq Ahmed, who have been suspended from the party. The others are Mohan Singh and Radhey Shyam Kori, who said they were unwell, as well as Reoti Raman Singh, Kirti Vardhan Singh, Afzal Ansari and Munawwar Hassan.

Of these, Ansari is in jail and Hassan joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) last week.

Amar Singh Tuesday said an independent MP, Baleshwar Yadav, has joined the party and would vote with the Samajwadi Party.