Varanasi: This election, there were many who headed to the polling booths; but for a majority of eastern UP voters, it was not worth the effort.
In a region, where there's hardly any election issue, the clincher could be the minority vote and its division between the three key players - SP, BSP and Congress.
"Votes are getting divided and every party is getting some advantage or the other," says a local.
"If there is no tie up between SP and Congress, the Muslim votes will be divided," says Asim Ibrahim, a voter from Varanasi.
The Congress is weak. The SP has Kalyan Singh - the face of the mandir movement. Minority voters may just turn to the BSP - even with candidates like Mukhtar Ansari from Varanasi - who is contesting from jail. The BJP's revival plan through anti-terror and Hindutva, faces Mayawati's Dalit- Brahmin chemistry. Small but influential caste groups back the SP or BSP.
"Hindutva is our agenda," says Yogi Adityanath of the BJP from Gorakhpur.
The first phase of polling indicates that the party that creates the best caste chemistry will manage more seats at least in this part of UP.
The silent gaga hides the unrest in eastern Uttar Pradesh. There is unemployment, poverty and hunger. Daily the people find faults with their leaders. But as voters - the fault lines are caste and community.