Bahdalganj: Roza hospital in Bahdalganj is as crowded as the political landscape in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Half a dozen new parties have been floated here by local Muslim leaders and clerics like the Peace Party and Ulema Council. And they all are chasing the same vote bank.
"Due to the success of the BSP in consolidating Dalit vote, the Muslims have started thinking on those lines," BSP leader Dr Aziz Ahmad said.
The state's Muslims feel betrayed by Mulayam's alliance with Kalyan Singh and are suspicious of Mayawati's past tie-ups with the BJP. But they are hesitant to support these outfits.
"In a democracy, religious parties can't succeed. Muslims will have to align with a national party," said Badruddin Ansari, a textile trader.
With the decline in the political fortunes of the BJP in UP, the Muslims feel less threatened by the bogey of Hindutva used by other parties to capture their votes.
For the first time since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the community can put its own interests first and not theirs.