LUCKNOW, Nov 30: The fallout of the severe drubbing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received in three states is becoming visible in Uttar Pradesh, perhaps sooner than expected. The detractors of Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and the BJP's allies, who are known for political somersaults, are back in the game of brinkmanship after a brief lull.With the Assembly elections sending clear signals of a Congress revival, the opposition parties are confident that the days of the Kalyan Singh Government are numbered. ``The state will see a new Chief Minister within 14 days,'' said Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tewari while claiming that some of the Loktantrik Congress Party leaders were in regular touch with the Congress.Adding to the woes of the besieged Chief Minister, his two ministers Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya (independent) and Yashwant Singh (Jantantrik BSP) met Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at Jhansi recently. Though the ministers say their meetings with Mulayam werecourtesy calls, there's more to it.The allies of Kalyan Singh - including the leader of independent legislators who have pledged support to the BJP, Raja Bhaiya - are also slated to participate in a public meeting organised by a former SP legislator Ashok Chandel at Mahirpur on December 5. Among the likely participants in the meeting are LCP chief Naresh Agarwal, Vivek Singh, a minister, Yashwant Singh and Raja Bhaiya. The meeting is bound to kick up a row and is billed to be an expression of ministerial disgruntlement against Kalyan Singh.The major allies of the BJP in the state, the JBSP and the LCP, have also called a meeting of its executive committees in Lucknow on Tuesday and are likely to decide their course of strategy. ``The BJP should learn a lesson from its debacle in the three states and should take necessary steps before Uttar Pradesh goes the Rajasthan way,'' Narendra Singh, the JBSP leader and a Cabinet minister said. Singh was hinting at the prolonged intra-party fight within the BJPstate unit. The anti-Kalyan lobby, being abetted by two senior ministers, has also stepped up their activities.The conduct of the party's senior leaders had given fillip to a section of party leaders to go ahead with their ``Oust Kalyan Campaign''. Union Home Minister L K Advani, during his visit to the state capital, preferred to dine at the residence of state party chief Raj Nath Singh, whose torn relations with Kalyan are no longer a secret.Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee also did the same thing when he decided to participate in the dinner hosted by his trusted lieutenant Lalji Tandon. The Prime Minister met various delegations and also the party leaders at the residence of the Urban Development Minister while normally PM's dinners are at the residence of the CM or the Governor.
