04-18-2007, 02:36 AM
<b>Mulayam needs a lead today to stay in race</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The possibility of a Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Government retaining power in Uttar Pradesh after the Assembly election depends heavily on the Samajwadi Party's performance in the third round of voting on Wednesday. Tipped as Yadav's stronghold, 57 seats of Uttar Pradesh Assembly go to polls on Wednesday.
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<b>The demographic profile is heterogenous with Jats dominating one region, Yadavs another and Kurmis and Thakurs coming into the picture on some seats. Muslims, too, dominate a large number of seats and there is a consistently visible Brahmin and Dalit population in almost all the seats.</b>
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With the exit polls showing average performance from the Samajwadi Party in the first two phases and lagging behind BSP, this could well be its last chance to go into the remaining four phases on an equal footing with arch rival BSP. <b>BJP has slowly been emerging as a serious contender with every passing phase.</b> A well-coordinated campaign led by Kalyan Singh from the front, withdrawal of Uma Bharati from the contest and polarisation of Hindu votes, following the secular parties pushing the agenda of minority appeasement a bit too far, could well see the saffron party not only hold onto its 2002 position of 11 but even add a seat or two to it.
The <b>Congress on its part could consider itself lucky if its holds onto it four seats </b>won in 2002. Though there was a substantial improvement in the party's performance in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections,<b> the confusion created by Rahul Gandhi's wavering line during the road shows would certainly not add to party's health</b>
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<b>The demographic profile is heterogenous with Jats dominating one region, Yadavs another and Kurmis and Thakurs coming into the picture on some seats. Muslims, too, dominate a large number of seats and there is a consistently visible Brahmin and Dalit population in almost all the seats.</b>
...
With the exit polls showing average performance from the Samajwadi Party in the first two phases and lagging behind BSP, this could well be its last chance to go into the remaining four phases on an equal footing with arch rival BSP. <b>BJP has slowly been emerging as a serious contender with every passing phase.</b> A well-coordinated campaign led by Kalyan Singh from the front, withdrawal of Uma Bharati from the contest and polarisation of Hindu votes, following the secular parties pushing the agenda of minority appeasement a bit too far, could well see the saffron party not only hold onto its 2002 position of 11 but even add a seat or two to it.
The <b>Congress on its part could consider itself lucky if its holds onto it four seats </b>won in 2002. Though there was a substantial improvement in the party's performance in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections,<b> the confusion created by Rahul Gandhi's wavering line during the road shows would certainly not add to party's health</b>
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