With Uttar Pradesh in for another round of political instability after the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Loktantrik Dal's withdrawal of support to the Bahujan Samaj Party-Bharatiya Janata Party government, Chief Minister Mayawati may cut short her five-nation tour and return to Lucknow.
The chief minister is in constant touch with her party's leaders and state officials, BSP sources said.
"So far her tour is on," a senior BSP leader said, but added that as the political situation is fluid, the visit may be curtailed if necessary.
Sources admitted that Mayawati's absence had come as a blessing in disguise for the opposition. They believe that their attempt to destabilise the government could gather momentum in the next few days forcing Mayawati to rush back to Lucknow.
Mayawati's presence instills confidence both in the official machinery and in the party circles, the sources said, citing how she had successfully thwarted the previous bid to topple the government.
Meanwhile, the opposition, buoyed by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi's declaration of support to their oust Mayawati campaign, has decided to hold another meeting in Lucknow in the next few days to garner more support.
"If the governor does not respond to our demand [to ask Mayawati to prove her majority afresh on the floor of the House], we will formulate another strategy to exert pressure on him," a senior opposition leader said.
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