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Tara Shankar Sahay in Saharanpur
The split in Muslim votes in Saharanpur assembly constituency is giving sleepless nights to its two hopefuls.
But it is also providing a sliver of a chance to the combined Indian National Lok Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party aspirant of making the grade in the tough, four-cornered contest.
"I am happy to note that the community's votes are split in Saharanpur, which is dominated by Muslims. They have to divide their votes and, therefore, our position has also improved," local BJP leader Dr Pannalal Sharma said.
A vicious fight is on between the Samajwadi Party candidate Sabir Ali Khan and his Bahujan Samaj Party counterpart Liaquat Ali to attract Muslim votes.
"BSP to ek dukan hai jahan unke alakaman ticket bechte hain (The BSP is a shop where its high command sells tickets)," Khan said at a late Tuesday night meeting at Indira Chowk.
He warned the voters to stay away from the party which was 'driving a wedge between Muslims and dalits'.
The BSP candidate was quick to retaliate, alleging that his Samajwadi Party adversary was dividing Muslim votes and trying to bag dalit voters through 'deceit and double-standard'.
The seat has 130,000 Muslim votes out of the 337,000 electorate.
Thirteen candidates are trying their luck.
Sitting MLA Sanjay Garg, who last time won on the Samajwadi Party ticket (when local Muslims voted en masse for him), is contesting this time as an independent with substantial Muslim support.
"Saharanpur's Muslim voter is not willing to vote blindly this time because various things promised to him by Muslim politicians have remained unfulfilled," Hamid Barkatullah, a roadside fruit-seller, said.
"He is weighing the candidates carefully and will according exercise his franchise," Barkatullah said.
With Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's appeal to the Muslim voters to vote for her party, its candidate here, Uma Bhushan, is hopeful that she will attract many Muslim votes.
"Look, the Congress is the natural alternative to the BJP whose days in power are numbered at the central level. Our party has regained much of its appeal in Uttar Pradesh and I hope to win with the Muslims supporting me," she said.
However, many political observers said that the fight is between SP, BSP and sitting MLA Sanjay Garg.
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh's joining the central government as the Union agriculture minister seems to have disillusioned many who hoped that he would expeditiously help create Harit Pradesh comprising 38 districts and 65 assembly segments of western Uttar Pradesh.
Although there is a RLD candidate in the fray in Saharanpur, he is regarded as a mere passenger.
"Chaudhary Charan Singh ka poot Harit Pradesh ko apne ambition ke chalte balidan de diya hai (Charan Singh's son has sacrificed Harit Pradesh on the altar of ambition)," rued octogenarian Prahlad Singh sipping tea at a roadside tea-stall.
He pointed out that Singh had evoked widespread response by raising the issue of Harit Pradesh but after joining the Vajpayee government, 'he is concentrating on clinging to power'.
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