UP results may surprise everyone: Sudheendra Kulkarni

Sudheendra Kulkarni, senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader and political thinker, has been touring Uttar Pradesh for the last two months, and is convinced that the voters of the biggest state in India would surprise political pundits who have been a predicting a hung assembly.

In a conversation with rediff.com's Onkar Singh, Kulkarni, who was recently in the news after being jailed for allegedly masterminding a sting operation in the 2008 cash-for-vote scam that rocked the UPA government, said that the people would give a clear mandate to one party to form the government.

"People will realise that votes cast in first four phases have not been as positive as they would like, so in the last three phases would decide who will rule Uttar Pradesh for next five years," Kulkarni said.

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Though Kulkarni was confident of a BJP victory in UP, he refused to give any numbers. "I am not dabbling into the number of seats that our party would win in the elections. Let us wait for the results," he added.

Even Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP vice president, refused to give any figure despite the fact that he was equally confident of a BJP victory. "It would not be right to give you any figure," he said.

Kulkarni also said that there is no scope of any post poll alliance for the BJP.

"We have been betrayed by Mayawati twice. There is no question of supporting either Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party. We will rather sit in the opposition than support another party to form the government," Kulkarni said.

Replying to a question as to what the party's stand would be if in the event of a hung assembly and the Centre decides to impose President's rule in the state, Kulkarni said at the moment he cannot any say anything on this matter. "Too early to say anything," he said.

Both Kulkarni and Naqvi also refused to comment over the absence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from campaigning in UP.

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