Maya decides to wait it out

So she would prefer to wait till the results are declared and open her cards only on tomorrow evening.

But even so,the BSP chief has high hopes of her party emerging as the “teesri badi takat” after the Congress and the BJP,they said.

On Thursday,she sent two of her trusted men — BSP’s Brahmin mascot Satish Chandra Mishra and the party’s Muslim face,Naseemuddin Siddiqui — to New Delhi. While Siddiqui’s task is said to be to supervise the counting,Mishra is to function as Maya’s “eyes and ears”. He is expected to return later in the evening and brief her.

The senior party leaders,who are in-charge of state units,will reach Delhi by Saturday evening. Party insiders said Mayawati is not interested in aligning with the UPA or the NDA,the Third Front suits her political interest better. But her stance will depend on her party’s performance and the constituents of the Front.

The BSP expects a bulk of seats from UP and hopes to open its account in Maharashtra,Haryana and Bihar.

The party has told its candidates to carefully pick the agents for counting — their role becomes very important wherever the victory margin is small. The candidates have been told to hold a meeting of agents before counting begins and give them a thorough briefing.