Will a fear of Narendra Modi rising keep the Samajwadi Party from dumping the Congress? That and a need to ensure Mayawati does not get closer to power at the Centre is likely to influence Mulayam Singh Yadav's decision-making - with his 22 Lok Sabha MPs, the external support Mr Yadav provides to the UPA has become a lifeline after Mamata Banerjee's angry exit from the UPA in protest against the Centre's decision to increase diesel prices, cap the supply of subsidised cooking gas to households, and open up the retail sector to allow the entry of foreign supermarket chains.