Lucknow, Aug. 17 -- Uttar Pradesh is gearing up for by-elections to 13 Assembly seats, the dates for which are likely to be announced next month.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is already racing ahead of all other parties when it comes to preparations for the by-elections. The party has initiated the process of short-listing its candidates and ministers and legislators have been tasked with ensuring the party's victory in all these assembly segments.

By-elections are to be held in 11 assembly segments from where BJP legislators have been elected to the Lok Sabha and one seat (Hamirpur) where the sitting BJP lawmaker Ashok Chandel has been disqualified following his conviction in a murder case. The 13th seat fell vacant following the ...