Comeback trail? SP,BSP loss is Cong gain

The choice of candidates,the impact of UPA schemes like the farm loan waiver and the weakening of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in these constituencies are the factors helping the Congress.

The SP,which had won the maximum number of 10 seats in 2004,is likely to suffer a setback. In the past,the party enjoyed solid support of Muslims. This time,large sections of Muslims are alienated because of Mulayam Singh’s handshake with former chief minister Kalyan Singh during whose regime the Babri Masjid was demolished.

Add to this the damage that the Peace Party,a local outfit,is likely to cause the SP by cornering a large chunk of Muslim votes in constituencies like Dumariyaganj,Basti,Sant Kabir Nagar,Shravasti,Faizabad and Gonda.

In 2004, the SP had won Pratapgarh,Banda,Kaushambi,Phulpur,Allahabad,Ambedkar Nagar,Quaiserganj,Basti,and Jaunpur. After the delimitation,a new constituency,Shravasti,has emerged in place of Balrampur that the SP had won.

For the BSP,the elections will be a test whether its Dalit-Brahmin combination,which had helped it win the Assembly elections in 2007,works again. In most of the 17 constituencies,the BSP changed its candidates at the last moment which has created some confusion among its followers. It has also affected the enthusiasm of party workers.

The effect is particularly noticeable in Bhadohi,Ambedkar Nagar,Faizabad and Quaiserganj where the BSP dropped candidates it had projected almost a year ago.

The fact that the BSP has fielded many candidates with a criminal background is also damaging it.

All eyes are on the performance of BSP candidate Dhananjay Singh,who is a history-sheeter,in the wake of the death of the Indian Justice Party candidate Bahadur Lal Sonkar in Jaunpur. A few days before his death,Sonkar had submitted a complaint to the district magistrate,alleging a threat to his life from the local police which,he said,was intimidating him to withdraw in favour of the BSP candidate.

In 2004,the party had won four seats,namely Faizabad,Sultanpur,Sant Kabir Nagar and Dumariyaganj.

The party has repeated its sitting MPs in three of these,but dropped Mitrasen Yadav in Faizabad in favour of Raja Bimlendra Mohan Patap Mishra,who is a Brahmin. Yadav has been adopted by the SP. Another important seat for the BSP is Ambedkar Nagar where BJP’s firebrand leader Vinay Katiyar is trying his luck.

The BJP had won only Balrampur in 2004. It hopes to do well in Banda,Ambedkar Nagar and Faizabad.