The smaller players are not far behind. The Samajwadi Kranti Dal of Beni Prasad Verma charges Mulayam Singh Yadav with hobnobbing with power brokers, and harbouring the criminal and corrupt. The major demand of the RLD’s Ajit Singh is a separate Harit Pradesh. The RLD competes in western UP where Tikait’s Bahujan Kisan Dal is in alliance with the Congress. The UDF appears as a party designed to undermine the votes of other parties. The Bharat Punarnirman Dal of IITians is promoting a clean politics. The Jan Morcha of V.P. Singh and Raj Babbar is targeting minorities, weavers and farmers, promising clean government and 8.5 per cent reservations for backward Muslims. The Muslim League condemns the Sachar Committee Report as a Congress gimmick. The Apna Dal and the JD(U) are with the BJP. The Lok Dal promises to scrap the Legislator’s Area Development Funds, impose a 25 per cent tax on goods manufactured by MNCs, and provide 52 lakh jobs to 50,000 village panchayats through cottage industries. Bharatiya Janashakti Party of Uma Bharati targets Advani, charges the BJP with being a party of power brokers, vows to follow the ideals of the erstwhile Jan Sangh, and commits itself to the mandir agenda. As for Left parties, they find themselves completely marginalised in this election.

These are the competing arguments. Every party knows well that these elections are crucial for its political profile and future. How will the people of UP respond? That, of course, is the big question.

... contd.