Chief minister Mayawati seeks re-election in vote that could thrust her caste-based Bahujan Samaj party on to national stage
India's most populous state has started voting in a month-long local election that could have repercussions for the whole nation.
A large re-election victory in Uttar Pradesh for Mayawati, the chief minister, could project her regional, caste-based party on to the national stage. She was up against the Samajwadi party, which she ousted from power five years ago.
A strong third-place showing for India's ruling Congress party could make it a kingmaker in Uttar Pradesh and help it gain a new partner to stabilise its fragile national coalition.
"The Congress could shed rebellious partners and could join hands with new political players," said Nominta Kumar, a political analyst at the Giri Institute of Development Studies.
Rahul Gandhi, who is touted as Congress's next prime ministerial candidate, has campaigned across the state for months hoping to prevent a poor showing that could leave the national government crippled for the last two years of its term.
More than debates over corruption and development, identity politics dominated the election campaign in the impoverished state, with Mayawati's low-caste Bahujan Samaj party facing off against the middle-caste Samajwadi party.
The state of Uttar Pradesh is so large, with 200 million people, that voting is spread over seven phases and will last until 3 March. Results will be declared on 6 March.
"This is a lengthy and complicated process to provide a level playing ground to all the political parties," the chief electoral officer, Umesh Sinha, said.
More than 900 video cameras and 1,800 digital cameras will be used to monitor the polls and provide live webcasts, he said. More than 1.8 million government workers and 380,000 paramilitary soldiers were supervising the poll.