Changing political equations in UP, India's most prized poll territory

Unconfirmed reports say the BSP and the SP have agreed to contest 38 and 37 seats, leaving only three for the RLD and two for the Congress

When the Supreme Court on December 14 dismissed petitions seeking probe into alleged irregularities in the Rafale deal, giving a major relief to the Narendra Modi government, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati raised the demand for “transparent policy” for military procurements.

In her nuanced press communiqué, Mayawati not only referred to Rafale but deftly mentioned the Bofors deal, which happened in 1986, when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister.

Coming hot on the heels of the BSP extending unconditional support to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, where the grand old party had fallen two short of the majority mark of