Reading the numbers

While psephologists of all hues had predicted a 8220;three-way fight8221; among the BSP, Samajwadi Party and BJP in Uttar Pradesh, one of them, known for his proximity to M Venkaiah Naidu, foretold a BSP sweep in his report to L K Advani. The BJP leader initially took it with a pinch of salt but was impressed once the results were known. The same psephologist was by Narendra Modi8217;s side as the Hindutva poster boy crisscrossed Gujarat during the elections. He was then seen with B S Yedyurappa when he traversed the length and breadth of Karnataka. Little surprise then that Advani called this professional to his residence for a PowerPoint presentation a few months ago for a detailed election analysis. His 8220;297 seat8221; formula seats that the BJP has won at some point has since become the buzzword in the party.