Mayawati shaky in UP, Mulayam’s fortunes on the rise: poll

The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are a year away, but the state has already turned into a political battleground. All the key players (BSP, SP, BJP and Congress) have high stakes in what is shaping up to be a tough four-cornered contest, the outcome of which will have repercussions beyond UP and for the Lok Sabha elections to come. The Mayawati government is clearly on the back foot, with a deteriorating law and order situation and opposition parties going on the offensive. The Congress is in a campaign mode seeking to build on its surprisingly strong showing in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, with Rahul Gandhi himself resorting to agitational politics, and his pointsman Digvijaya Singh assiduously wooing the Muslim community. The BJP has, on its part launched the newly-reconciled Uma Bharti into the fray in an attempt to woo the OBC vote and to revive the Hindutva sentiment.