CAPONE WEPT (via Bryan Francoeur):

Untouchables sweep to power in India's most populous state (Randeep Ramesh, May 11, 2007, Guardian Unlimited)

India's most prominent Untouchable leader pulled off a surprise election victory in the country's most populous state today, stalling the political ambitions of the Gandhi family's heir apparent.

Mayawati, who only uses a single name, leads the Bahujan Samaj party, which looks set to sweep the polls in Uttar Pradesh, a northern Indian state of 170 million people and the country's most important bellwether of public opinion.

Uttar Pradesh is a chronically poor rural backwater that would be the world's sixth most populous state if it were a nation. Less than half the women in the state can read or write their name, but it has also produced most of India's prime ministers.