New Delhi, Oct. 15: As Sonia Gandhi and Mayavati wage a war of words, the BJP’s candidate for Prime Minister L.K. Advani is rubbing his hands in glee.

“We are thrilled. This will not only negate the impact of the Samajwadi Party’s alliance with the Congress but cause far greater damage to the UPA,” a senior BJP leader said.

The party believes benefits of the Congress-Samajwadi alliance will be restricted to Uttar Pradesh whereas an aggressive Mayavati will gnaw at the Congress support base across the country.

“There is nothing more fascinating for us than the BSP factor in election-bound Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. In Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, too, the impact will be seen in some measure,” a BJP general secretary said.

Another leader said the party would have been knocked out in Madhya Pradesh in next month’s election without the BSP factor.

“We fear Uma Bharti will hurt us badly in at least 30 seats. That would have been enough to sink us. But we hope Mayavati will hurt the Congress in as many seats. In Delhi, we don’t have an Uma Bharti but the Congress will have to grapple with Mayavati.”

The party’s official reaction was more restrained. Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “It is an interesting fluctuation of chemistry between the two ladies of Indian politics.”

The BJP itself has been at the receiving end of “fluctuation in chemistry” with Mayavati, with whom it has teamed up in the state in the past.