8216;UPA Govt will not survive trust vote8217;

PM Manmohan Singh believes he will survive the vote after securing support of Samajwadi Party.

If the government loses the vote, early elections will be called, probably in 2008. It will lead to political uncertainty just as the government battles rising inflation and interest rates, as well signs of fiscal strains and economic slowdown.

8220;The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the people of India understood the significance of the initiatives being taken by the UPA government and endorse them,8221; according to a statement by the PMO late on Tuesday.

So close is the vote, parties from all sides have stepped up their battles and rhetoric to secure votes.

8220;The government will not survive the trust vote even when it8217;s indulging in large-scale horse trading,8221; Vijay Kumar Malhotra, senior BJP leader, told The Indian Express.

He estimated the government only had 250 votes of the 272 needed for a majority.

The Leftists, angry at what they see as the government8217;s betrayal over a nuclear deal they say makes India a pawn of Washington, announced an alliance with Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati, over the confidence vote.

It was an unheard of alliance and a sign of high stakes of the vote. The Communist Party of India Marxist and Mayawati, have been enemies for years.

The government8217;s own alliance with Samajwadi has sparked criticism the Prime Minister was allowing his government to bend to its conditions, from judicial probes into political enemies of the party to helping corporate allies of the regional party.

The timing of news that the CBI could probe Mayawati, raised criticism of an under-the-table deal. Mayawati is the main political enemy of the Samajwadi.

The Leftists also sparked a storm with accusations that MPs were being bribed for their support.