Uttar Pradesh: 'UP ke ladke' to face Modi's juggernaut, Mayawati goes solo

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Uttar Pradesh which sends the largest number of members to the Lok Sabha is crucial for the BJP's plan for a third consecutive term in office. The INDIA bloc too hopes to put up a respectable fight in the state, now that the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have finally stitched together an alliance. Uttar Pradesh goes to the polls on all seven phases of the Lok Sabha elections, beginning April 19 and ending on June 1. (Check full schedule)

The BJP-led ruling coalition won 64 seats — BJP 62, Apna Da(S) 2 — out of the total 80 constituencies in 2019, contributing significantly to the overwhelming majority that the Narendra Modi government enjoyed in the outgoing Lok Sabha.
This time the BJP-led NDA alliance expects more from the state, which sends Modi himself to Parliament from Varanasi — a constituency pampered with development projects including remodeling of the area around the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Uttar Pradesh has been among the most frequented destinations on the PM's travel list during the past decade, even before the inauguration of the new Ram temple at Ayodhya.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is now set to cash in on Modi's popularity and the Hindutva appeal in UP.
The BJP is also strengthened in Uttar Pradesh by the support extended by smaller parties. Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party's return to the alliance gives it an edge in the state's Purvanchal region.
Similarly, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary's move to ditch the Samajwadi Party and ally with the BJP is expected