Contrary to Congress claims that the party would reach an understanding with the BSP in UP, the BSP slammed the door on Monday with its vice-president Mayawati declaring in Lucknow that there was no question of seat adjustment with any party. "The Congress leaders are indulging in rumour mongering on the issue to arrest the exodus from their party for the coming Lok Sabha elections," she said in Lucknow on Monday.

The BSP leader declared that her party would contest all the 85 seats in UP and that the list of candidates had already been finalised.

Despite such categorical assertion on part of the BSP, the Congress leadership believes that a tie-up would come about. The BSP stand is believed to be a pressure tactic to lay claim on the maximum number of seats in the party.

There is a section in the Congress, however, which sincerely believes that BSP had taken a stand from which it would not budge. In their view, the BSP stand was based on realpolitic in the state. The BSP move is being driven by the fact that the dalit vote bank in the state continued to be with it. In addition, it expects a large chunk of Muslim votes to go in its favour after the Mulayam fiasco. The Congress, however, believes that the Muslim voters this time round would favour the party as a result of SP leader Mulayam Singh slipping his ground in his home turf.

All indications suggest that there would be no meeting ground between the Congress and the BSP on seat adjustment in UP, barring the last minute miracle. Both parties are genuinely credited with the view that their performance would markedly improve in the state. Much of Mayawati's intransigence also stems from the Congress party's electoral understanding with BSP's bete noire Lok Dal in western UP. The Congress party had reached an understanding with Ajit Singh on about a dozen western UP seats. According to observers, BSP's chances of any seat adjustment with the Congress is, therefore, over.

The Congress did not win a single seat in UP, the party's bastion in the last election. Party observers hope that at least ten seats would go to it if choice of candidates was right. It is crucial for the Congress to have an understanding with the BSP with which it could align in the post-poll scenario in the run-up to power.