Three Horses And A Pony

Pitted against formidable opponents, the Congress is at best an also-ran in the Assembly polls. But it believes in the Olympian dictum that it is not the winning but the participation that matters.

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TIGHT SECURITY: Around 60,000 armed personnel to keep vigil during the polls

As an electoral exercise to elect a new Assembly, this one has few parallels. The polls in the country's politically crucial state are to be held over seven days spreading over a month. Nearly 11.43 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in about 1.10 lakh polling booths, which is nearly one-sixth of the number of booths operational during the last Lok Sabha polls. That's not all. Over 60,000 armed personnel would be deployed during the polls and over 1.60 lakh electronic voting machines would be used, while 657 companies of Central paramilitary forces would be deployed. In the first phase of the polls covering 62 constituencies spreading over 13 districts, 175 companies would man the polling stations. Did someone say ""vote without fear or favour?

Time Now for Generation Next

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STAR CAMPAIGNERS: Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra

Pitted against formidable opponents from the Samajwadi Party, the BJP and the BSP, the Congress, whose performance has been pathetic in the last few Assembly elections, would normally have been expected to throw in the towel before the first vote was cast. But there is a never-say-die spirit in India's Grand Old Party which is epitomised by its emerging leadership. Now, where is this more evident than in Uttar Pradesh where party chief Sonia Gandhi has virtually deputed children Rahul and Priyanka to be the star campaigners. The two will be assisted by a dozen Central ministers, four chief ministers, besides two young MPs Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot. Rahul has already organised a three-day roadshow in parts of western Uttar Pradesh. Party leaders hope the family magic will work this time. If it doesn't, the Congress can write the state off.

Whose Caste is It Anyway?

Conventional wisdom would have it that the politics of BSP chief Mayawati was centred around Manuvad and a hatred for the upper castes. But what happens when the great leader herself turns her life's philosophy upside down and opens the doors of her party, once the preserve of Dalits, minorities and other oppressed classes, to rivals? Well, her political opponents are scurrying for cover. When the BSP chief released a candidates' list that contained no less than 139 upper caste members, including 89 Brahmins, the BJP, supposedly the party of upper castes, retaliated by allotting 169 party tickets to backwards and Dalits, the same number it had given to upper castes. Although the incumbent Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav could not be so liberal in handing out tickets, he was alarmed enough by this new strategy to start dropping by at every temple along his campaign route.

Serious business, these elections

For most ordinary folks, elections are a necessary distraction but for hawkers selling buntings, flags and other poll paraphernalia, it's sunshine time to make hay. Outside virtually every party office in Lucknow, there are "mini malls" that sell party flags, caps, badges, posters and portraits of leaders. There are no punters needed to fix the prices: the higher the party's chances of winning the impending polls, the more its merchandise costs. Predictably, there is a premium on SP and BSP merchandise, which falls marginally for the BJP, while for the Congress, only posters of Sonia Gandhi are in demand.

Wrestler plays safe, takes two

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READY FOR THE FIGHT: Mulayam (centre) with Amar Singh (left)

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is the kind of guy who likes to lay all his cards on the table while his opponents from the several opposition parties are more prone to holding their cards close to their chest. Thus while the BSP's Mayawati, BJP's Kalyan Singh and state Congress chief Salman Khursheed have opted out of the contest, Mulayam has announced he will contest two seats in the Assembly elections. Besides seeking to retain his Gunnaur Assembly seat of Badaun district, the chief minister will also file his papers from Barthana seat of his home district Etawah. With megastar Amitabh Bachchan as the SP's brand ambassador, Mulayam should have no problems winning both.

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