LyrArc Article Gist
As voters go to the polling booths in the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, this report in The Hindu shows that a lot in this election depends on how effective the alliance in Uttar Pradesh between a caste based party of Ms.Mayawati the BSP alliance with the socialist party SP of Mr. Yadav can be against the BJP Party of Mr. Modi. Uttar Pradesh is important because it is India's largest state and with Bihar and Madhya Pradesh represents the Hindi and Hindu heartland of the country, with a large bloc of seats in India's parliament.

 Steeped in India's legacy of community based politics Uttar Pradesh has seen a constant struggle between the two communities the Yadavs and Jatavs. By pushing caste and community based politics to an extreme Ms. Mayawati was able to win elections and govern the state, followed by being ousted by Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav. 

The 2016 elections changed the politics of the state with the emergence of Mr. Modi's BJP party in a landslide in state assembly elections.  As a result the opposition BSP and SP formed an alliance to ensure they remained a force in the state. This report shows that the Jat community in Uttar Pradesh still supports the BJP and questions whether the Muslim vote can swing to the opposition BSP-Sp alliance where it has never historically resided. 

 A lot depends also on how this develops at the grassroots level and the dedication of BJP's grassroots effort of campaigners and volunteers who helped it win in the 2016 state elections. And on tireless campaigning showed by BJP leaders in the state, Mr. Modi's own brand of non-stop campaigning.