Stops short of offering walkover; for SP cream, it’s cakewalk

In Mainpuri, the Congress has fielded a Thakur, Rajindra Singh, against Mulayam, arguing that this would cut into the anti-Yadav votes. But with the government’s pro-Thakur image, it is unlikely that the Thakurs here would vote in the traditional way. Because of their Thakur candidate, the Congress could also push the Dalit votes away to the BSP.

In Kannauj, Mulayam’s son Akhilesh is the SP candidate. Here, the Congress has fielded a Brahmin, Vinay Shukla, hoping to corner the upper caste votes. By fielding a Brahmin, the Congress’s advantage with the Dalits will diminish. Eventually, it could be a smooth run for Akhilesh.

In Sambhal, Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal Yadav is contesting. The Congress had cleared Pramod Tyagi’s name, hoping to cash in on the anti-Yadav votes, but at the last minute gave the ticket to Ashok Yadav who had joined the party recently. Yadavs in UP have traditionally voted for Mulayam and are unlikely to abandon his brother.

The BJP, on the other hand, has given the ticket to Ombir Singh, a backward. The BSP has nominated a Muslim, Tarannum Akil. With the three-way split of the anti-Yadav vote, the SP could find it easy in Sambhal. In Baghpat, SP ally RLD’s chief Ajit Singh would be seeking a mandate. Against him, the Congress had cleared Jai Chand Tyagi but in a last-minute switch replaced him with a Gujjar. This was done hoping that a Gujjar could get both the anti-Jat and the Gujjar votes. But by dropping a Tyagi, the party might have to deal with resentment in the community.

The minorities have a candidate in BSP’s Aulad Ali who would cut into the Congress vote. Against BJP’s Kalyan Singh in Bulandshahr, the Congress dropped Imtiaz Ahmed. Dropping a Muslim may push the minorities towards the SP-RLD Muslim candidate. Also, the Brahmin vote the Congress is hoping to get would also get divided as the BSP has also put up a Brahmin.