Jamshedpur, April 21: Lukewarm response to the party candidate’s meetings at various places in the constituency and the presence of only a handful of people at election offices are enough fodder for poll observers to predict a bleak Lok Sabha election for BJP’s Abha Mahto in Jamshedpur.

Political pundits believe the party is likely to “face the music” on April 26 because of Abha’s declining popularity among the electorate. They add that the party might have to end up on the losing side if they do not address their problems in the next couple of days.

“The electorate has started questioning her achievements and the work she has done for the people. She was never to be seen during her tenure, leave alone her presence when the city was facing a crisis,” they said.

The BJP, on its part, has started airing a 15-minute advertisement on the local cable network since last night. It includes clippings of Abha’s speeches in the Parliament.

The advertisement shows her discussing the plight of HCL, the Uranium Corporation of India’s alleged spread of radiation in Jadugora. The amendment of the marriage law and the Bihar Reorganisation Bill.

Sulekha Mukherjee, a retired professor of political science of Jamshedpur Women’s College and an observer of the steel city’s politics for over 25 years, feels tough days are ahead for the BJP, as has been indicated by thin crowds at party offices.

“Mahto is fast losing base among both urban and rural population of the constituency. During her two tenures as MP she never tried to interact with the electorate. She has even ignored their small requests of road and electricity as has happened with the people of a locality in Sonari,” she said.

The achievements of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee may not be enough to help Abha win from the Jamshedpur constituency.

A.K. Mahapatra, a senior professor of political science of Abdul Bari Memorial College, said there has been a significant change in the mindset of the people in the past couple of years. They have started comparing the work done at the central level to that done in a constituency.

“If we see from a voter’s point of view, there is a wide gap between the achievement of the Vajpayee government and Mahto. This gives me every reason to believe that she may have a tough time in the poll,” said Mahapatra. Ramchandra Singh, another poll observer, says it is obvious that there is bickering in the party.