New Delhi: With high-octane campaigning for 67 seats in western UP’s second phase polling coming to an end on Monday evening, the contest is expected to be mainly between the BSP and the SP-Congress alliance.
In this Muslim and Dalit-dominated region, the going for the BJP could be tough. The party apparently had the best shot in the 73 seats, which went to the polls in the first phase on February 11.
A Modi wave had swept Uttar Pradesh, including its western belt, during the 2014 general elections. But, in absence of a wave, electoral dynamics of caste and communities are expected to play a key role in deciding the fate of the contesting parties.
Muslim votes are expected to play a crucial role, and could be the deciding factor in majority of the constituencies in the second phase.
The BJP, which had earlier declared the SP as its main rival, changed tack to announce the BSP as the “main force” in Uttar Pradesh. Sources revealed that the BJP also intends to “go soft” on the BSP.
Reports from the state indicated that BJP chief Amit Shah at his Pilibhit rally on Monday chose not to mention the BSP.
Addressing a rally at Lakhimpur Kheri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept his focus on SP leader and state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. While he flayed Mr Yadav for being “blinded by absolute power,” he avoided launching a scathing attack on BSP chief Mayawati. His only reference to her was when he questioned Akhilesh Yadav’s role in probing corruption charges against the BSP supremo. Trying to woo the minorities, Ms Mayawati while speaking at Saharanpur on Monday warned Muslims that if they voted for the SP-Congress alliance, they would be favouring the BJP in the assembly elections.
