As election fever grips the nation, political parties have shifted to the top gear. The struggle for power has drawn new battle lines in the political circles with friends turning foes and vice versa.

In a huge setback for the Bharatiya Janata Party, its 11-year-old alliance partner BJD parted ways over seat sharing in Orissa with CM Naveen Patnaik saying that the BJP's seat-sharing formula was unacceptable to them.

The Congress is also engaged in an on-off tiff with the Samajwadi Party. The two parties are engaged in seat-sharing talks in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha election.

A classic example of the bitter fight between political parties, which can turn the tide of an election is the one between the UPA and the Left.

BSP leader Mayawati is going to play the most crucial and interesting role in the coming general election.

One of the key UPA ally, the DMK, has also raised the pitch on the issue of Lankan Tamils.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Bihar unit of Congress has started flexing its muscles to get at least a dozen seats from its allies in the post-poll alliance taking shape in the state.

One of the clashes that has been the hallmark of the typical poll-time maneuvering is the one between Kalyan Singh and the BJP.