The EVMs may still be locked but officials in Uttar Pradesh perhaps know which way the wind is blowing. The Ambedkar Udyan is being spruced up and sculptors are being asked to put finishing touches on the Ambedkar statues left incomplete five years ago. Clearly, they think Mayawati is coming back as chief minister and it’s prudent to be in her good books.

With the results just two days away, the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (RNN) has started cleaning up the BSP chief’s pet project in Lucknow. One of the most ambitious projects of her tenure, the sprawling Ambedkar Udyan had been lying in utter neglect for the past five years. The park lights were not working, the lawns needed mowing and the pools festered with dirty water.

“We were busy with other projects,” said S Kumar, RNN project manager, “and maintenance was not regular in the past few months.” He then added, “We have now been instructed to get the park back in shape at the earliest.”

He will, of course, not say from whom the instructions have come.

Mayawati’s possible investiture has also put the state Culture Department into a flurry. With Mayawati’s last regime being marked by the erection of statues of Dr BR Ambedkar, Narayana Guru, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj and Periyar, the department is taking stock. “With exit polls and our own analysis telling us that Mayawati will be back, we are trying to be more prepared,” admitted a senior official of the department, requesting anonymity. According to sources, the department’s panel of artists have around six statues of Ambedkar ready to be installed within a month. Mahesh, an artist from Azamgarh, “I only have one statue in my studio, but I am cleaning it up in case the need arises.” Amarnath Prajapati of Mohanlalganj, another artist, said he was also readying his casts for Ambedkar statues. “I’ve been told, though only verbally, to keep all existing stocks in good condition,” the sculptor said.