Battleground U.P : Politics in the Land of Ram

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Between March 2011 and March 2012, Manish Tiwari and Rajan Pandey travelled across Uttar Pradesh, by bike, jeep, bus and train, covering more than 15,000 kilometres and 350 constituencies in over 60 districts in an effort to witness the prelude to the 2012 assembly elections, and capture the grassroots reality of Indias most politically significant state. The authors narrate untold stories and anecdotes of UP politics and give a ringside view of these watershed elections, which saw the end of Mayawatis rule, the drubbing of the Congress, which had pinned its hopes on the Gandhi charisma, and the rise of a new star in the form of Akhilesh Yadav. They are witness to events as they unfold in the remotest corners of UP. At the same time, they also investigate the specifics of the socio-political climate in Uttar Pradesh at what is, arguably, a turning point in the states history, caught as it is between the politics of caste and the politics of class, the politics of goonda-gardi and corruption and the voting publics increasingly vocal refusal to put up with it, the need for development and its almost unbearable human costs.Coming up to the present, the book takes an objective look at Akhilesh Yadavs first six months in power and whether it has really been a change for the better. Part gonzo-journalism, part ethnography, Battleground UP: Politics in the Land of Ram is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Uttar Pradesh and its politics.