Three days ago, the BSP called for a crucial meeting of its 14 coordinators, and each one of them submitted a report about his zone to the party high command. The most surprising thing is that each of these coordinators is saying the same thing – the direct contest of their BSP candidates is with the SP; they don’t consider the BJP or the Congress to be a part of the big fight. Even more shocking: six months ago when these coordinators had submitted their reports to the party high command, 10 of them had said their direct face-off was with the BJP, and only four had said it was with the SP. BSP strategists themselves are surprised and wonder if the BJP’s graph in UP has indeed fallen to such a large extent that it seems to be out of the main election contest. The BSP report has also revealed that the BJP’s hold over public opinion is now limited to cities; its influence among rural voters is rapidly on the decline.