Clearly stung by the public criticism on playing hide and seek over filing nomination from Bellary in Karnataka, Sonia Gandhi took no chances and allowed her poll managers to announce her candidature well before the last moment.

Amethi has been the Gandhi family's pocket borough for long. Late Rajiv Gandhi contested and won from this seat. After Rajiv, the constituency was left to be nursed by family friend Capt Satish Sharma. Sharma, obviously, will now have to be given another constituency.

By contesting from Bellary and Amethi, Sonia is seeking to signal that she has the support of both the north and the south. Her illustrious mother-in-law Indira Gandhi also fought from north and south simultaneously on several occasions.

Her poll managers make no bone of the fact that the entire party machinery will work for her victory fromboth Bellary and Amethi. "Who will not vote for a prime ministerial candidate" is how her partymen react to Sonia's chances of success.

But it is an open secret that the BJP is leaving nothing to chance. Consider how the party spied on Sonia and pre-empted her plan to pull off a coup by filing her nomination from Bellary yesterday. The BJP dashed off Sushma Swaraj to Bellary to be in time for filing her nominations against the Congress chief.

Sanjay Singh is by no means a weak candidate from Amethi. He has had much hand in nursing this constituency ever since late Sanjay Gandhi's days. He was known for his close proximity to Sanjay Gandhi and through him to late Indira Gandhi. He wields quite some influence in Amethi.

Clearly, the BJP juggernaut will not fail Sanjay in giving a fight to Sonia Gandhi. The BJP has, in fact, already made a plan to queer the pitch for Sonia Gandhi in her own turf. To what extent it succeeds only time will tell.

To further embarrass the Congress, the BJP has roped in ArunNehru for the adjoining Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareilly, traditionally represented by the Nehru-Gandhi family. Late Indira Gandhi mostly contested and won from this constituency.

The BJP is credited with the view that with Arun Nehru in Rae Bareilly and Sanjay Singh in Amethi, Sonia Gandhi will not find it easy to romp home from UP. The Congressmen, on the other hand, are more than euphoric for their leader personally. They are, indeed, hoping to wrest as many as ten to 15 seats from UP as against none in the last election.