The high stakes on both sides have fuelled speculations about the extent to which the two parties would go, in order to win the election. The district administration is taking no chances with respect to security arrangements. The authorities here do not even rule out the possibility of `home-made bombs' coming into the constituency from neighbouring Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh (With faction-ridden politics, Anantapur district is a haven for country-made bombs).

If the Congress received a shot in the arm in the last minute, so to say, the BJP camp has been in high spirits from the day Sushma Swaraj filed her nomination for Bellary.

Sushma Swaraj's efforts at reaching out to the people (she appears to have shaken hands with almost everybody in Bellary town) could hold the key. Whathas enthused BJP supporters further are the pre-poll surveys that predict a win for Swaraj. One cannot discount the organising capacity of the Janata Dal (United), the BJP's alliance partner, either. Despite the confusion over seat-sharing, a little of this was obvious when it came to jointly taking on Sonia Gandhi in Bellary. Another important factor behind the BJP's visibility in the remotest villages is its ability to requisition the services of its sister organisations in the `Sangh Parivar'.

In keeping with P M A B Vajpayee's direction that there should be at least 10 volunteers in each polling booth, members of sister organisations descended on Bellary to ensure that they met voters at least twice before the polling day. The volunteers' proclamation that they would physically prevent Congress workers from indulging in ``unfair'' practices (distribution of money and liquor and proxy voting), is likely to be a flashpoint for any violence. But Congress fears that the `Sangh' will rig the poll in favourof BJP. Congress camp's management in Bellary has been, at best, sloppy. Only after Swaraj made up considerable ground -- just on the basis of her campaign -- was the Congress shocked out of its complacency. The party's campaign-managers' SOS to 10 Janpath was answered: Sonia's arrival here with Priyanka was undoubtedly an effort to regain lost ground.

Thursday's on-the-road campaign by Sonia seemed to go down well with Bellary town's residents. The convoy moving about Bellary's lanes and bylanes could not but draw attention. Some observers here believe that Sonia's on-the-road campaign was a hit because it was a visibly impressive show.

Political observers camping here are unwilling to hazard a guess on the outcome in Bellary. Everyone admits that it will not be easy for Sonia; but nobody is willing to be categorial about Sushma's victory.