THE 55 seats voting tomorrow in the first phase of elections in Uttar Pradesh will test the Congresss experiment in social engineering. By fielding a large number of ati-pichda (most backward) among the OBCs,the backwards among the Muslims and Koris/Pasis among the Dalits,the party is aiming to upset calculations of the ruling BSP as well as the main opposition Samajwadi Party. The BJP too has much at stake,considering Ayodhya goes to polls in this phase. Having initially tried to develop corruption as the main issue against the Congress and BSP,the party fell back on Ram temple issue in the last leg of campaigning. The BJP,SP and BSP all fared better than the Congress in the 2007 elections on these seats. The BSP had won as many as 31 constituencies,followed by the SP (18),the BJP (4) and Congress (2). The region where polling will be held in the first phase includes Sitapur,Barabanki,Faizabad,Ambedkar Nagar,Bahraich,Shravasti,Balrampur,Gonda,Siddharthnagar and Basti districts,with a good population of Muslims,OBCs and Dalits. However,the 2009 Lok Sabha elections had seen a resurgence by the Congress here,with the party winning Barabanki (P L Punia),Gonda (Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma),Bahraich (Kamal Kishore),Shravasti (Vinay Pandey) and Domariaganj (Jagdambika Pal). The Congress seems to be trying to enlarge this space further now by reaching out to communities which have been in the past regarded as supporters of the BSP and SP. The BSP has tried to counter this by wooing Brahmin voters even in its own stronghold in Ambedkar Nagar district,while the SP is working on transfer of consolidated Thakur votes to it in Devipatan region,comprising Gonda,Bahraich,Shravasti and Balrampur. The BJP,meanwhile,is trying to project itself as the only political platform for upper caste voters,particularly Brahmins,by returning to talk of Ram temple. The Congresss design is evident in the fielding of Amit Verma,a Kurmi,from Ambedkar Nagar. From Tanda,it has fielded Dr Masood Pathan,an old BSP man. Though the SP has given the ticket to Azimul Haq,a backward Muslim,the Congresss promise of 4.5 per cent reservation for backward Muslims has created problems for Haq. Masoods nomination from Tanda is also helping Congress candidate Jairam Vimal in nearby Allapur which too has Pathans in good numbers. Beni Vermas ability to get Kurmi votes will be on test in not only Devipatan but also in his native district Barabanki and neighbouring Sitapur. His son Rakesh Verma is the Congress nominee from Dariyabad seat while Congress MP Jagdambika Pals son Abhishek is contesting from Basti and MP Kamal Kishores wife Poonam is in the fray from Balha (reserved) in Bahraich district. A significant feature in this phase is the absence of direct fights in most constituencies. While multi-cornered contests have favoured the BSP in the past and while there does not appear to have been a great erosion of its Dalit base,in a sign that the party is unsure of its chances,BSP leaders are avoiding making brave assertions. What might damage the BSP is the large number of MLAs denied tickets who are now contesting as Independents. In a sign of the partys gameplan,Chief Minister Mayawati has been mainly attacking the Congress in her election speeches. The hope is that a stronger Congress and the BJP will end up helping the party in a multi-cornered contest.
