Hema Malini copes with dust, din to charm Mathura

State president Laxmi Kant Vajpayee tried hard to iron out differences and seek "unqualified support" of the local leaders to ensure Hema Malini's thumping victory.

Two days ago after Hema Malini complained to the party's top leaders including the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, about the differences and lack of support from a section of local leaders, two senior members of the BJP were sent to Mathura and told to stay put to coordinate the campaign.

In this Jat-dominated constituency, Choudhary Charan Singh's name still holds sway and with a chunk of Muslim votes assured, Jayant remains a formidable opponent.

The recent reservation to Jats goes in his favour and youngsters from the community seem to believe "this move alone will open flood gates to opportunities for them".

Ashok Bansal, who teaches at BSA College, said: "Undoubtedly, Narendra Modi will help her (Hema Malini) get extra votes in the urban areas. BJP is strong in all the urban clusters and there has been a degree of polarisation also."