It's BJP versus BSP in Phase-I of Uttar Pradesh polls

In Uttar Pradesh, 73 of 403 seats go to polls on Saturday in Phase-I of assembly elections. While both caste and communal polarisations play across the 15 districts that vote on Saturday, neither seems dominant, making this a tight contest.

Results of the last couple of assembly elections, and 2014 Lok Sabha polls, suggest western Uttar Pradesh (UP) sets the tone for the rest of the state. A party that has won a majority of western UP's 130 seats, has also gone on to win a majority across the state.

Western UP is also among the most prosperous