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Singh can probably count on the support of segments of the backward classes in the north and of the country's 96 million Muslims, who have applauded his efforts to protect the Ayodhya mosque. But he will have a harder time swaying the rest of the population, which is more concerned with rising inflation and a growing budget deficit. The B.J.P. will fight back with its platform of Hindu Rashtra, trying to convert religious fervor into votes. Where Rajiv Gandhi's Congress (I) Party might enter the equation is anyone's guess. But in order to survive, the winner must find a way to appease Rama without sacrificing Indian democracy.