Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has a strategy in place for providing succour to the poverty-stricken Bundelkhand region. By doing so, he would not only provide food and water to the starving population but also consolidate his Samajwadi Party in this region which has been its weakest wicket for long. Even when the SP swept the entire state in 2012 assembly elections, the BSP had halted its march in Bundelkhand by having an equal number - of seven seats - while in the previous 2007 assembly polls, the BSP had bagged 13 and the SP four seats. This time, the SP's 'cycle' does not want to face any danger from the BSP's 'elephant' but it has also to see that the BJP's 'lotus' does not bloom in Bundelkhand again. After Holi, Akhilesh would visit any of the seven districts in the suicides- and starvation-engulfed Bundelkhand to start free distribution of food, pure ghee and edible oil to the drought- affected nearly 2.85 lakh families, as he had announced in the state Assembly. His office is working out the details for free distribution of eatables. Two successive droughts and three crop failures have pushed the majority of Bundelkhand natives to starvation-like conditions with them struggling to eke out two square meals. The region is anyway riddled with an unproductive tortuous land, dried up water bodies causing an acute water scarcity every summer, almost nil economic activities and industrial growth. The situation has been aggravated by droughts and successive crop failures drawing the attention of the state government. As an immediate relief, the chief minister has asked for free distribution of foodgrains and other eatables, Samajwadi Pension of Rs 500 a month to more than three lakh women, compensation to farmers for crop failures, their insurance and financial assistance to the poor families for the marriage of their daughters. Bundelkhand's population is about one crore, spread over seven districts. The government, through its cash and kind schemes, wants to cover 75 per cent of the population. Bundelkhand is the region where most parties want to be seen sympathising with the starving population so that they are able to project their farmer-friendly image in the elections. It was first Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who toured the region two years ago. Then BJP leaders, led by Suresh Khanna, also visited and now it's the SP's turn. Even chief secretary Alok Ranjan has visited twice in the last three months and stayed in a Banda village.