The Muslim card played heavily by the Congress party will be at test on Tuesday, when the 67-state assembly constituencies go to poll during Phase VI of the seven-phased Uttar Pradesh election.
Taking a dig at his own party, Varun Gandhi, who has stayed away from campaigning in the Uttar Pradesh elections, has said the Bharatiya Janata Party was "spoilt for choice" and had 55 chief ministerial candidates.
Dr Mohamed Ayub Ansari, the founder-president of the Peace Party, hopes to make waves in the Uttar Pradesh elections. Having fielded 240 candidates, and with a wide spectrum of allies in all the remaining seats, Dr Ayub expects to be the new kingmaker in Lucknow. In the first of a two-part interview with Saisuresh Sivaswamy and Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow, he elaborates on his views.
All the behind-the-scenes action in the Uttar Pradesh elections is taking place in a non-descript room in Lucknow, reports Saisuresh Sivaswamy
Clearly, Rahul Gandhi has shown himself unable to pick the right people, and unable to pick the right issues, opines Mihir S Sharma
The TMC, fresh from its resounding victory in West Bengal, is renewing efforts to mark its presence in the country's most populous state as well as politically crucial elections before the Lok Sabha battle in 2024, reports Virendra Singh Rawat.
Having burnt the fingers in the Uttar Pradesh elections due to over dependence on central leaders and a weak state organizational set up, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has told party men in Karnataka in clear terms that "assembly elections are not won from national capital".
As Parliament takes up the debate on the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011, on Tuesday, the Congress party will try to ensure three things.
According to sources, the Election Commission has a tentative schedule to hold the Uttar Pradesh elections from February 16 or 17. The polling will be completed in six phases by around March 6, and the counting would be done along with all other states on March 10. Other states, including Punjab, will have one-day polls.
On Sunday, Rashtiya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh was sworn in as Union Cabinet Minister. And the next move of the Congress, in the run up to the Uttar Pradesh elections, is to grant reservations to Jats in the central list of Other Backward Classes. Neerja Chowdhury analyses
But will the party be ready for power at that time, asks Pramod Kumar Buravalli
Union Minister Ajit Singh's 33-year-old son Jayant Chaudhary could emerge as a candidate for the deputy chief ministership, says Neerja Chowdhury.
Six years after she was expelled for indiscipline, firebrand leader Uma Bharti on Tuesday rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party at a crowded press conference at the party headquarters at 11 Ashok Road on Tuesday.
With the political class ranged against them, the civic representatives of the panel drafting the Lokpal bill face an uphill battle. Sheela Bhatt reports from New Delhi.
We need to give a booster shot to all our frontline workers first as if they fall victim to Omicron, the health system will collapse, points out Ramesh Menon.
With Rahul Gandhi having given his final nod, the Congress party on Monday released its first list of 73 candidates for the next state assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
The Election Commission is bracing up right from now for a hectic and crucial 2012 when it has to handle elections of the new president and vice-president of India and conduct assembly elections in five states, including the all-important Uttar Pradesh.
With her latest masterstroke, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has made Congress lose its credibility in the eye of the aam admi, says Sheela Bhatt
Will the padyatra and mahapanchayat be stand-alone events or will they become part of a sustained and ongoing movement? That was the question on the minds of many in Uttar Pradesh. Neerja Chowdhury analyses the events and its effect on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
'Cultural nationalism or the victim card that you play is okay when people are well fed.' 'But if you are not well fed, then it puts a question mark (on your leadership).'
'The state should be setting the pace for 21st century India; instead it is falling behind every day -- and its leaders apparently could not care less,' says T V R Shenoy.
'We have learnt lessons from Mamata Banerjee who overcame the BJP's canard by reciting Chandi Path and playing up her Brahmin origins in her campaign. We need to adopt strategies like asking Muslims to lie low and distributing tickets prudently so that we are not accused of favouring one community.' Radhika Ramaseshan reports.
It won't be wise old Modi versus an immature Pappu any longer. It will be Modi versus a whole collection of experienced Opposition leaders, predicts Vir Sanghvi.
He claimed that Deoband's ancient name was Devvrad and evidences to support it were being collected.
'The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 was the biggest case of mob lynching in India'
The NDA says the Congress' move to get Natwar disqualified is because he proposed the VP's name.
Biplab Kumar Deb is accused of 'punching above his weight' and being 'ignorant' of Tripura's ground realities.
She admitted that congress party was not able to transform the goodwill the party had generated during last few months into votes. "Our performance has been very disappointing.
But the party has yet to evolve a consensus within the NDA over its choice, given Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar's open support for Kalam.
Senior party leaders R K Dhawan and V Narainswamy are members of the committee, which has All India Congress Committee general secretary Ashok Gehlot as convenor.
The infant that many considered too fragile to survive at its birth 3 years ago has reached its mid-life.
In case Governor Rajeshwar Rao refuses to recognise her numerical strength and dares to invoke President's Rule, then UP may have some rare fireworks.
52 lakh voters were deleted and 48 lakh were added in Uttar Pradesh's electoral rolls.
But the numbers game does not favour Shekhawat. The race for the presidency is hotting up with more and more candidates likely to join the fray in the next couple of weeks.
In Bharatana, the Samajwadi Party chief seems to have an easy ride.
'UP has shown India and the world how caste and religion can be manipulated to the maximum cynical extent.'
Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told rediff.com that the numbers were in favour of Shekhawat.
Mr Modi and Mr Shah will need him if they want to win UP again in 2022 and India in 2024. This signals a Yogi Adityanath-sized change in BJP politics, even under Mr Modi, Shekhar Gupta.
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