This refusal to open up has been a feature of this Uttar Pradesh election, where 69 constituencies will vote tomorrow across the central districts, known for rigid caste loyalties. Veteran politicians said the "voter silence" reminded them of the run-up to the post-Emergency general election of 1977, when an angry electorate decided to teach Indira Gandhi a lesson. A cross-section of Uttar Pradesh voters wants to make the BJP pay for the torment of the demonetisation. "Uttar Pradesh has a primarily agrarian economy; the state of industry here is poor. In parts of central Uttar Pradesh, dotted with Samajwadi pocket boroughs, Akhilesh's thrust on development seems to have given him the edge.

Source: The Telegraph February 18, 2017 21:22 UTC