'Snap polls now to hit Left most'

Left parties may stand to lose heavily while Mayawati's BSP can emerge as a big gainer if snap polls are held now, according to a survey by a leading English magazine.

Left parties may stand to lose heavily while Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) can emerge as a big gainer if snap polls are held now, according to a survey by a leading English magazine.

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The UPA might secure 172 to 192 seats, showing a downslide, while NDA's kitty can go up to 178 to 198 seats and the Third Front can notch 44 to 54 seats, The Week/CVoter survey said.

In the 545-member Lok Sabha, the share of the four Left parties, which is having a stand-off with the Government on the nuclear issue, may drop to 38 to 48 seats from the present all time best of 59 seats. CPI-M alone has 43 seats and CPI has ten at the present Lok Sabha.

The BSP, which swept to power in the recent UP assembly polls belying all predictions, may see its numbers more than doubling up. The BSP, which now has a strength of 18, can look for securing 44 to 55 seats, the survey claimed.

A handshake by Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati and the support of smaller parties could diminish the clout enjoyed by the CPI-M.