The Kurmis -- who have surnames like Verma, Patel and Gangwar -- and weavers are the most aggressively wooed communities in this election.

These castes are the biggest among the smaller castes in the state.

The ruling SP is not oblivious to the need to reach out to non-Yadavs. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav brought back his friend-turned-foe and prominent Kurmi leader, Beni Prasad Verma, in May, and made him a Rajya Sabha MP.