A week before the crucial trust vote in Parliament, new political alignments are emerging. Dumped by the Samajwadi party, the Left, whose relations with the Congress have soured, is teaming up with the Bahujan Samaj Party. And so, Prakash Karat met Mayawati on Sunday. With Mulayam Singh now on the side of the Congress, Mayawati, with her 19 MPs, is an attractive replacement.