IN UP, SEATS PHASI PADI HAI

As the election reaches its crescendo, a common refrain in UP is, "Seats phasi padi hai" (there is a close contest in all seats).

- BISWAJEET BANERJEE

With its 80 parliamentary seats, Uttar Pradesh is the gateway to Delhi. But the long-drawn election has generated an element of voter fatigue. Also, the shifting political narrative has added to the inability of journalists and soothsayers alike to weigh the political imponderables and predict in which this election is heading.

Senior journalist Sunita Aron describes the political scenario in UP as very confusing. "You ask anyone, and they say 'seats phasi padi hai.' They even offer plausible explanations about caste equations, candidate profiles, and growing disenchantment among voters to prove their point," she said.

Baring a few pocket boroughs like Varanasi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Kannauj and Mainpuri, people are predicting 'kaante ki takkar' in all other seats. Constituencies like Allahabad and Kanpur, which were considered safe for the BJP, are now being tagged as 'phassi padi.'