The Dainik Bhaskar Group's fight in Maharashtra

By: Rohin Dharmakumar, Deepak Ajwani/Forbes India

The Agarwals of Dainik Bhaskar have had a dream run in beating incumbents in the regional newspaper market. In Maharashtra, they might just meet their match in Lokmat. The streets of Aurangabad are awash with activity. At the centre of attention are its residents. And they are being courted with giant hoardings, banners, pamphlets, painted city buses and mobile phone text messages. Hundreds of smartly attired young men have fanned out across the length and breadth of the city. They move from house to house conducting feedback surveys, telling residents what the banners and buses already say: We