If UP chief minister Mayawati intended to confuse her political opponents with her proposal to carve up the state into four new ones, she certainly succeeded. Both the Congress and the BJP were caught off-guard , unsure whether to support it or oppose it. Ajit Singh's RLD, which has been demanding statehood for Harit Pradesh or the western rump of UP, perforce had to respond with enthusiasm. But it's put a question mark over his ongoing negotiations for a poll alliance with the Congress unless the latter takes a stand on this emotive issue. Mulayam Singh's Samajwadi Party is the only one that has come out clearly against the division but even he may face problems on the ground, especially in Bundelkhand where his workers have been campaigning for a separate state in response to burgeoning regional aspirations.