NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW, SEPT 19: Signals from the ground and the exit polls - which indicated a slide in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) electoral performance in Uttar Pradesh - has left the party scurrying for a new strategy in the state.The BJP high command has organised a massive mobilisation of cadres after the results of exit polls - conducted by various agencies including party loyalist Jain TV for the 30 Lok Sabha constituencies which went to polls in the first phase pointed to a fall in its seat tally.Jain TV's findings said the BJP may lose 5 seats in the first phase. Though DD-DRS exit poll did not give state-wise data, the pollster, G V L Narasimha Rao said that the BJP's tally would come down. Another survey by Lokmat-IMS-CMCR has said that the BJP will lose 9 seats.Almost all top party leaders, film stars and prominent personalities have been told to concentrate on UP. Some leaders touring in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have been told to stop campaigning there and go to UP.The primeminister will campaign extensively in UP for the fourth phase. So will L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha and a host of others. Urban Affairs Minister Jagmohan has been sent to Lucknow to expose Congress candidate Karan Singh's `dubious' role in Kashmir. Uma Bharti will also campaign in the state to woo the Lodhs to counter the anti-BJP campaign of Sakshi Maharaj.Arun Jaitley, the BJP's spokesman, said there would be intensive campaigning in UP and the party has closed ranks. Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has been told to keep away from certain constituencies and concentrate primarily among the OBC-dominated areas. RSS cadres have been rushed from neighbouring states to UP to mobilise support for the BJP.The ailing RSS Chief, Rajendra Singh, camped in Allahabad for four days to help Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi. He also camped in Lucknow and Varansi. It is unusual for the RSS chief to campaign for party candidates. What has worried the party leaders,apart from the exit poll signals, is the reports from the constituencies. A low polling percentage in the first phase has made the BJP leaders nervous. There are reports from different districts that upper castes preferred to stay home while Muslims and the Dalits exercised their franchise in large numbers in the first phase.Upper castes had been the moving force behind the BJP's rise from two MPs in the Lok Sabha in 1989 to the present status. The signals from the grassroots have led to panic in the party in a state where the party alliance captured 59 of the total 85 seats in the dissolved House.The polling percentage was highest (60) at Mirzapur where the Samajwadi Party's Phoolan Devi has a distinct advantage. Pitted against her is the BJP's sitting MP Virendra Singh who faced much trouble in convincing voters in this backward district to favour the BJP again. He remained inaccessible to them for 13 months when his party was in power at the Centre.Repolling in UP, APLUCKNOW:The Election Commission has ordered repolling in 96 booths of 15 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and 88 polling stations in Andhra Pradesh.In UP, repolling would be held among others, in 29 polling stations in Etah, 19 in Jalesar, 13 in Mirzapur, 12 in Mainpuri, four each in Phulpur and Pratapgarh.
