It's advantage for Mulayam in Mainpuri

Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to have a smooth sailing in his traditional bastion of Mainpuri, about 300 kilometre from the state capital.

The one biggest factor, that has made this seat a SP stronghold is that the Yadavs form around 35% of the total electorate here.

In 2014 general elections, Mulayam, who had contested from two seats, was so confident about his victory here that he had chosen to resign from Mainpuri and retained Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat.

SP also reigned supreme in the 2017 state Assembly polls, which the BJP had swept by winning 325 of the 403 seats. Of the five Assembly seats in this Lok Sabha constituency, the SP had won four.

"Netaji (Mulayam) romped home by over 3.60 lakh votes here even when there was a Modi wave... Mulayam will only increase his victory margin this time," remarked a confident Khuman Singh Verma, the district SP president.

In the bypoll here later, Mulayam's grand nephew Tej Pratap Yadav won by a massive margin of over six-lakh votes.

And Verma's confidence found echo among the electorate too.

"Mulayam has done a lot for this constituency... The villages have been connected by roads... There is a medical college near the town," says Kalicharan Yadav, a resident of the town.

SP leaders' claim that Mulayam's victory margin would increase seems to be justified as the BSP has also joined hands with the SP this time. In 2014, the BSP nominee had bagged 1.42-lakh votes.

The massive crowds, that thronged the grand alliance's rally here on Friday, also lent credence to the claim.

BSP supremo Mayawati sought votes for her one time bitter foe Mulayam here. The warmth displayed on the stage by the two leaders had a "tremendous" effect on the workers of both the parties.

"There is no bitterness now that Behenji (Mayawati) has forgiven the SP for the Guest House episode," said Maiku Lal, a BSP supporter and a resident of the town.

Mulayam, while making his speech at the rally, declared that it was going to be his last election.

"It is my last election... kindly ensure my victory by a huge margin," he told the crowd.

Even the BJP supporters here say that Mulayam's victory was a "foregone conclusion".

Total Number of Electorate- 16 lakh

2014 winner- Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP)

2014 runners up-S.S.Chauhan (BJP)