Firozabad, which was a reserved constituency before the delimitation exercise, is now a general constituency. SP leader Ramji Lal Suman had been wining from here hitherto. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Suman polled 2, 12, 382 votes (39 per cent of the polled votes) as against 1.57.595 polled by Kishori Lal Mahore of BJP (29 per cent).

The presence of Akhilesh Yadav of SP, Prof SPS Baghel of BSP, Raghuwar Dayal Verma of BJP, Rajendra Pal Baghel of Congress and two powerful Independents, Ashok Yadav and Manish Asija, and Rajjo Devi of the CPI(M) has made this election an absorbing one.

The predominance of Yadavs in Firozabad favours Akhilesh, whose campaign theme has been development of the constituency. Firozabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises Shikohabad, Firozabad, Tundla Sirsaganj and Jasrana.

Rajjo Devi and Ashok Yadav are working very hard to dent the Yadav vote base of Akhilesh. But Akhilesh has a distinct edge as his father and SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav is the undisputed leader of the region. Incidentally, Sirsaganj and Jasrana were part of the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency, represented by Mulayam.

An added bonus is that the party has managed to secure the support of former MLA Jhaulal Yadav, who is working hard to ensure the victory of Akhilesh.

Interestingly, the infighting in the local unit of the party is also helping Akhilesh as both the factions are vying with each other to ensure Akhilesh's victory.

BSP candidate, Prof. SPS Baghel, sitting MP from Jaleswar, was once close to Mulayam. He is trying his best to mobilise the support of Baghels in the region besides campaigning to secure the backing of Muslims, too.

Veteran Socialist, Raghuwar Dayal Verma, is now contesting on a BJP ticket. A close aide of Kalyan Singh, Verma had left the BJP only to rejoin it later. Verma got a big boost when BJP president Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for him in the constituency. Former MP Sureshanand, who recently joined the BJP, is also pitching in for Verma.

However, Congress candidate Rajendra Pal Baghel, is lagging far behind, but he will also get support from a section of the Baghels.

Former minister Ashok Yadav, who is contesting as an Independent, is trying to make inroads into Akhilesh's vote bank. On the other hand, another independent candidate, Maneesh Asija, is bent upon ensuring the defeat of BJP candidate Verma.

CPI(M) candidate Rajjo Devi is concentrating mainly on the guhe work-force engaged by the glass factories.

Bid for hat-trick from Kannauj: Will Akhilesh Yadav succeed in making it a hat-trick from Kannauj, the other constituency from where he is contesting, this time?

Internationally known for its perfumes, Kannauj is witnessing a keen contest as the stakes are high for both Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP president and UP Chief Minister Mayawati.

Akhilesh Yadav, who had won by a massive margin of over three lakh votes in the 2004 Lok Sabha, is facing BSP's Mahesh Verma ,son of former Speaker and six- time MLA from Bidhauna assembly constituency, Dhani Ram Verma. Bidhauna is part of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency.

Incidentally, Kannauj has lost the Yadav-dominated Barthana constituency after delimitation, and got, instead, Lodh-dominated Rasoolabad.

Chief Minister Mayawati is attaching utmost importance to this constituency. That is why she announced various development schemes and a special package of Rs 148 crore for Kannauj. She addressed a huge rally here and blamed the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and BJP governments for neglecting the 'perfume town'.

Ever since Akhilesh won from here, Kannauj has remained a VIP district. He was responsible for the construction of a 100-bed hospital, 23 bridges on Kali river, a 20-hour electricity supply during the SP regime and construction of roads. Akhilesh has won twice from Kannauj. Work on a new medical college has already started, the initiative for which was taken by him.

Since the BSP candidate had lost by a margin of three lakh votes, party supremo Mayawati got in touch with Dhani Ram Verma, once close to Mulayam, and admitted him to the BSP. She also gave ticket to his son. The BSP is banking on the support of Lodh community besides Brahmins, Thakurs and Dalits.

Akhilesh is facing another candidate, Subrat Pathak of the BJP who is seeking votes to do away with the caste-based politics.

During his visit to Kannauj this correspondent met a large number of people in Serai Meera, Tirva and Rasoolabad, who praised Akhilesh for development of Kannauj. Since Congress has not put up any candidate against Akhilesh, party supporters and sympathisers may vote for him.(IPA)