UP the ante

The battle for UP has begun. With assembly polls slated next year, contenders for power are gearing up to secure control of India's most politically significant state. In a four-cornered contest for 402 assembly seats, the Samajwadi Party, with 88 MLAs, seems best poised to take on the 221-strong ruling BSP. In third position, the BJP hopes to improve its tally. But it's the Congress, a distant fourth, that's really upped the ante, aggressively taking on chief minister Mayawati. At the heart of its high-profile campaign against the ruling BSP is Rahul Gandhi, who's sounded the battle cry.

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