Bulandshahr, May 09: It could be a make-or-break battle of ballots for BJP stalwart Kalyan Singh, locked in a four-cornered contest in this Lok Sabha constituency going to polls in the last phase of polling on May 10. At stake are Singh's reputation as a strong Lodh leader and also his attempts to retrieve a place of importance within the BJP after returning to the party earlier this year. Besides the stiff opposition, particularly from Samajwadi Party-Rashtiya Lok Dal candidate Badrul Islam, Kalyan is facing challenge from his erstwhile supporter and former Union Minister Chatrapal Singh, who represented the seat in the dissolved house. Chatrapal Singh is out to oppose Kalyan after being denied a ticket by BJP from the seat which was till recently considered a relatively safe one for the saffron party.
Chatrapal Singh, also a Lodh, has since resigned from the BJP in protest and could hold considerable sway over the 1.3 lakh Lodh voters, traditionally considered to be the base vote of Kalyan.
Besides the Lodhs, Kalyan is banking heavily on about 80,000 Bania voters although the 1.5 lakh Brahmins could be holding the key to his success.
Bureau Report