All stories by Sharat Pradhan
Euphoric crowd chants 'Ab ki baar Modi sarkar' in Varanasi
Rediff.com24 Apr 2014Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's supporters seemed desperate to get a glimpse of their leader as they waited patiently on balconies and rooftops along the 4 km route of his road show, reports Sharat Pradhan
Do the Gandhis see a threat to their bastions?
Rediff.com20 Apr 2014Does India's first political family see some serious threat to its own bastions? The question was doing rounds in Uttar Pradesh, where lie Rae Bareli and Amethi -- the respective parliamentary constituencies of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice president son Rahul Gandhi. Sharat Pradhan reports.
Divided maulanas may help the BJP in Bareilly
Rediff.com9 Apr 2014Sharply divided maulanas appear to have paved way for a smooth sailing for Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Santosh Kumar Gangwar in Bareilly.
LS polls: Muzaffarnagar hopes for record turnout to heal riot scar
Rediff.com8 Apr 2014Thousands of students, school teachers and government employees created history of sorts in Muzaffarnagar as they formed a 120-km long human chain to spread word on the importance of vote in a democracy.
For Rajnath Singh, the going will be tough in Lucknow
Rediff.com4 Apr 2014Even after giving five rounds to former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee followed by the last round in 2009 to his close lieutenant Lalji Tandon, Lucknow is now all set to give a rough ride to Bhartiya Janata Party president Raj Nath Singh, who has taken the plunge after forcing Tandon's exit from here.
Akhilesh-Modi 'roar' at each other over Gir lions
Rediff.com3 Apr 2014Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's quest for lions from the Gir forest in Gujarat to develop a lion safari in the once dacoit-infested Chambal ravines in Etawah has provoked an interesting wordy duel between him and his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi.
'Cong does not believe in lip service, Bihar will have its own model'
Rediff.com1 Apr 2014Thousands of hands went up in the air to greet the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as he landed in the semi urban constituency of Aurangabad in Bihar after making the crowd to wait for two hours in the open on a hot sunny afternoon.
EC gives marching orders to 44 top UP officials
Rediff.com26 Mar 2014In a sudden late Wednesday night development, the Election Commission gave marching orders to 22 district magistrates, 19 district police chiefs and three DIGs of police in Uttar Pradesh.
Rajnath invokes Vajpayee to win Lucknow's heart
Rediff.com26 Mar 2014The Bhartiya Janata Party may have forgotten its one time stalwart and ailing former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. But the 2014 Lok Sabha election has prompted party president Rajnath Singh to profusely remember the tallest BJP leader, whose five-term long stint as MP from Lucknow obviously comes in handy for Singh to make the capital of Uttar Pradesh his new political turf.
No chance of a united candidate against Modi in Varanasi
Rediff.com25 Mar 2014Even as both the ruling Samajwadi Party and its bte noire, the Bahujan Samaj Party may swear in the name of secularism, neither of the two critical players in Uttar Pradesh politics is willing to go for a united nominee against their common political foe, Narendra Modi, who seemed cocking a snook at them from Varanasi. Sharat Pradhan reports
When Varanasi transformed 'atheist' Kejriwal
Rediff.com25 Mar 2014The Aam Aadmi Party leader took a dip in the Ganga, visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple before he declared war against Narendra Modi.
Mayawati not to contest LS poll; declares all 80 UP candidates
Rediff.com20 Mar 2014While refuting media reports about her plans to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Thursday went all out to woo the state's Muslims, by training her guns at the entire brigade along with its prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi.
Miffed by SP's 'non cooperation', Raju to return to comedy
Rediff.com11 Mar 2014Comedian Raju Srivastava on Tuesday pointedly blamed the top Samajwadi Party leadership for his sudden decision to walk out of the contest for the prestigious Kanpur Lok Sabha seat.
Is Rajnath Singh behind the upheaval in UP BJP?
Rediff.com10 Mar 2014Sources reveal that Modi's first choice to contest Lok Sabha election from the 'safest' Lucknow constituency could have affected BJP president's personal plans, who was getting increasingly uncomfortable in Ghaziabad. Sharat Pradhan reports.
Lathi vs jhadu: BJP activists beat up AAP workers in Lucknow
Rediff.com5 Mar 2014Armed with brooms, workers of the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday clashed with lathi-wielding activists of the Bharatiya Janata Party and fought pitched street battles in Lucknow in protest against the detention of former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat.
Mulayam embarrasses son Akhilesh and aide Azam Khan in public
Rediff.com4 Mar 2014Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Azam Khan, the most powerful minister in his cabinet, were left embarrassed by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at a function at the CM's residence in Lucknow.
Kejriwal trails in Super Sunday clash with Modi, Mulayam
Rediff.com2 Mar 2014While Narendra Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav rallied in front of a packed house, rain played spoilsport and reduced the supporters at Arvind Kejriwal's gathering to a few thousands.
Modi's Lucknow rally on Sunday will be historic: Amit Shah
Rediff.com1 Mar 2014Bharatiya Janata Party's in-charge on Uttar Pradesh Amit Shah predicts that Narendra Modi's Vijay Shankhnaad Rally in Lucknow on Sunday will be a blockbuster.
Why AMU slammed the door on Mulayam's face
Rediff.com24 Feb 2014Why was Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav forced to cancel his trip to the Aligarh Muslim University on Monday? Rediff.com's Sharat Pradhan reports
That's a first! Akhilesh 'praises' Mayawati's monuments
Rediff.com24 Feb 2014Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has showered praise on the multiple and extravagant monuments and parks built by his bete noire -- Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.