What the SP-Congress alliance will achieve will greatly depend on the right messaging, better candidates and creating a larger social base.

While the fight is between the Samajwadi Party-led and BJP-led alliances, it is unclear who will come out on top.

This journalist's travels in 15 of Punjab's districts shows the growing popularity of AAP in key regions.

According to a survey undertaken by the reporter over the last two months, the polls will see a direct contest between SP and BJP. Congress is a potential contender on very few seats, while BSP seems to be losing support.

During the polling, BJP booth committees seemed to be working more efficiently than TMC booths.

The delay in releasing the lists clearly shows that the parties are facing a great difficulty in coming out with consensual candidates while also managing relations with alliance partners.

In a state with an extremely diverse socio-ethnic profile, new regional outfits may not be able to win over support from other communities.

With hopes of expanding in the region, the saffron party has ditched its partner Bodoland People’s Front.

What once looked like a one-sided election has turned into a seat-by-seat contest.

Mayawati's allegations against Akhilesh Yadav and his party do not hold much water.

Several dropped BJP MPs are rebelling, while the state government's policies have resulted in an anti-incumbency wave.

The BJP's consolidation of non-Jat castes has fuelled its success, nullifying renewed efforts by the Congress to make a comeback.

While the saffron party may not do as well as it did in 2014, Modi continues to attract voters.

Leaving out the CPI and CPI (ML) – Left parties with a significant presence in Bihar and Jharkhand – from the opposition alliance could cost it dearly.

The media's assumption that the Gandhi family's 'magic' can trump equations on the ground is misplaced.

Efforts at building a broad Bahujan alliance failed in the past because of the contradictory class interests of its constituents. But the picture may now be changing.

The BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government has failed to live up to its promises to the farmers or those on healthcare and law and order, and only seems to be committed to Hindutva.

Over the years, the focus of the government and peasant organisations has gone from making agriculture profitable to different forms of de-peasantisation, and therein lies the problem.

A wave of resentment rocked the BJP's confidence after it denied popular MLA Shyamdev Roy Chaudhury, or Dada, a ticket, prompting a visit from Modi himself.

Till the third phase of the UP assembly elections, the BJP had a relatively quiet campaign, but it seems to have changed its tactic mid-way through the fourth phase, making excessive use of the prime minister.