<p>A day before before vote count in Uttar Pradesh, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister Rajnath Singh Monday admitted that his party may not be in a position to form the next government in the state. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Singh said while the BJP was set to improve its tally in the 403-member assembly, it would fall short of coming to power. <br /><br />"The results would be bright for the BJP and there is no doubt about it, we fought to get a majority, but yes, candidly speaking, it appears to me that we might fall short of the numbers required to form the government," Singh told IANS on the phone.<br /><br />Asked about the possibility of the BJP aligning with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or the Samajwadi Party to form a coalition government, Rajnath Singh ruled out such conjectures.<br /><br />"The BJP has all along maintained that there would be no truck with any party, neither before the polls, nor after the elections."<br /><br />On the wisdom of allowing tainted BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha's to enter the BJP fold, Singh said: "I can safely say that the entry of Kushwaha did not help us." <br />As for possible damage, he said that would be assessed after the poll outcome and a threadbare analysis.<br /><br />Asked if corruption had been a major issue in the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said it was important but not a major one. <br /><br />Singh has been at the forefront of farmer politics in the state, be it the Kisan Panchayats he held during his rule or the Bhatta-Parsaul and Tappal farmer agitations where he actively participated. But he rued that while farmers had leaned towards the BJP, they seemed to have voted on caste lines.<br /><br />Asked whether the surge in the poll percentage in the state - it was the highest ever in these seven-phased assembly polls that concluded March 3 - had benefitted the BJP, he said it was a "definite booster for the party's prospects in UP".<br /><br />He attributed the successful voter turnout to campaigns undertaken by social activist Anna Hazare, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and yoga guru Baba Ramdev.</p>
<p>A day before before vote count in Uttar Pradesh, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister Rajnath Singh Monday admitted that his party may not be in a position to form the next government in the state. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Singh said while the BJP was set to improve its tally in the 403-member assembly, it would fall short of coming to power. <br /><br />"The results would be bright for the BJP and there is no doubt about it, we fought to get a majority, but yes, candidly speaking, it appears to me that we might fall short of the numbers required to form the government," Singh told IANS on the phone.<br /><br />Asked about the possibility of the BJP aligning with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or the Samajwadi Party to form a coalition government, Rajnath Singh ruled out such conjectures.<br /><br />"The BJP has all along maintained that there would be no truck with any party, neither before the polls, nor after the elections."<br /><br />On the wisdom of allowing tainted BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha's to enter the BJP fold, Singh said: "I can safely say that the entry of Kushwaha did not help us." <br />As for possible damage, he said that would be assessed after the poll outcome and a threadbare analysis.<br /><br />Asked if corruption had been a major issue in the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said it was important but not a major one. <br /><br />Singh has been at the forefront of farmer politics in the state, be it the Kisan Panchayats he held during his rule or the Bhatta-Parsaul and Tappal farmer agitations where he actively participated. But he rued that while farmers had leaned towards the BJP, they seemed to have voted on caste lines.<br /><br />Asked whether the surge in the poll percentage in the state - it was the highest ever in these seven-phased assembly polls that concluded March 3 - had benefitted the BJP, he said it was a "definite booster for the party's prospects in UP".<br /><br />He attributed the successful voter turnout to campaigns undertaken by social activist Anna Hazare, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and yoga guru Baba Ramdev.</p>