A saviour for the Congress?

Will Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati come to the rescue of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, where elections are due to be held for 11 Rajya Sabha seats on Saturday? At an event on Thursday, she dropped a hint. Asked which way the needle would point, she said: "In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are together. There are many issues where they have come together." The Congress might already be counting on her. "Mayawati's words are most encouraging," said Congress member of the state Assembly Pramod Tiwari. "Her 12 lawmakers will come in handy. We have also been promised support by Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal. The BJP will see itself deflated on Saturday."