There are a few truths that emerge out of the historical town of Bahraich, which is the scene of pitched one-upmanship between Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and his once close associate, Beni Prasad Verma.

First, Beni, who split the Samajwadi Party to form the Samajwadi Kranti Dal (SKD) has acquired a new eminence as a Kurmi leader (earlier the powerful Kurmis voted the SP and BJP too).

Two, the SKD threatens to hit the SP the hardest on Beni’s home turf; it had four seats in Bahraich and could lose all of them. Mayawati’s BSP and BJP will reap the benefits along with the SKD.

But to add to Beni’s new flash, there have been some eventful episodes. Reshma Arif Khan, wife of former union minister Arif Mohamed Khan, is the SKD candidate for Bahraich. She will contest against Beni’s arch enemy, the SP’s three-time MLA Waqar Ahmed Shah. Shah is also Labour Minister in Mulayam’s Cabinet. In fact, Beni left the SP after the latter selected Shah instead of Beni’s handpicked candidates for the poll.

Arif Khan, one-time MP of Bahraich, has thrown his might behind Beni. Though a member of the BJP, his estrangement with the saffron party is now well-known.

It is only Beni’s sway with the Kurmis that can swing the tide in Reshma Arif’s favour. Explains a prominent Muslim leader, “For the first time, the Muslim community is divided between two powerful Muslim candidates, and though anti-incumbency should work against Shah, Muslims will not allow their votes to be split if that helps the BJP win. But if Muslims get the signal that Beni has managed to get the 38,000 Kurmi votes for Reshma Arif, Muslims will vote en masse and she will romp home to victory.”

... contd.