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Uttar Pradesh (UP) is going to the polls this month and the results will have implications even beyond India. However, Mayawati, the Chief Minister of UP, will encounter big challenges for re-election as the state faces major problems such as poverty and an inefficient education structure.
The 2012 elections in Uttar Pradesh are proving to be a four-way fight, where votes may get split evenly between the four main parties. However, Mayawati, of the ruling-BSP party, has her people listening rapt with attention.
Its election time in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – India’s largest state, with a population of more than 200 million. Who will represent this vast land that contributes to 8% of the country’s GDP? Manjeet Kripalani travels through UP, writing about the state's fast-changing political landscape and its hopeful people.