Lucknow, Oct. 25 -- The fiercely contested Vidhan Parishad elections from 11 teachers' and graduates' constituencies across the state may be small in terms of the electorate size but their outcome on October 27 may send a big political message ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, offering an early indication of the BJP's organisational strength and the Samajwadi Party's (SP) ability to challenge the ruling party.

The intensity of campaigning, mobilisation of senior leaders, internal dissent, clashes between rival supporters and allegations levelled during polling on Friday have raised the stakes much more than they were initially expected to.

Experts believe that for the BJP, the results will be an opportunity to show that its ...