Cong biggest gainer,doubles its 2004 tally

The BSP won 20 seats,adding only one seat to its 2004 tally and delivering a blow to Chief Minister Mayawati’s prime ministerial hopes.

The BJP’s strength remained at 10,while its ally,the Rashtriya Lok Dal,won five,two seats more than its 2004 tally of three.

The lone seat where counting was still on was Chandauli and the SP was leading there.

The results show an erosion of the BSP’s popularity since the 2004 assembly elections. The pattern of voting in 2007 translates into about 45 Lok Sabha seats but now,the BSP has not got even half that number.

Sonia Gandhi,Rahul Gandhi and Union Minister Prakash Jaiswal were among the prominent Congress winners. State Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi attributed the party’s success to Rahul Gandhi. “It is the efforts of Rahulji who kept visiting different areas of the state regularly and Soniaji,who took important decisions regarding UP.”

For the Congress,the results are a vindication of its stand to go it alone,refusing to accept the terms for seat-sharing set by the Samajwadi Party. Here,too,Rahul Gandhi played a role.

Kalyan Singh,who is contesting as an Independent backed by SP,is leading in Etah. Mulayam Singh is leading in Mainpuri,and his son Akhilesh Yadav in Kannauj and Ferozabad.

The BJP’s attempt at projecting Varun Gandhi as the new poster boy of Hindutva failed outside Pilibhit. Varun won by more than 2 lakh,but in nearby Bareilly,the party’s six-time MP Satosh Gangwar lost. BJP general secretary Vinay Katiyar lost in Akbarpur,while former party president M.M. Joshi won in Varanasi.