PRIMARY TEST FOR OBAMA MOMENTUM!

People in and around Washington DC are voting in primary polls which could see Democrat Barack Obama keep his momentum over rival Hillary Clinton.
Senator Obama is aiming to win the Democratic presidential nomination contests in Maryland, Virginia and DC.
Senator Clinton is looking ahead to primaries in Ohio and Texas in March in the hope of reversing her fortunes.
In the Republican race, John McCain is seeking to bolster his front-runner status after two weekend defeats.

Primary may prove pivotal
Elections come to Culpeper

Polls suggest Mr McCain has the edge over Mike Huckabee, who won in Kansas and Louisiana on Saturday.
But correspondents say the Arizona senator still has some work to do to unite his party, amid continuing criticisms from leading party members who have questioned his conservative credentials.
Mr Huckabee has been under pressure to stand aside for the sake of party unity, but has so far said he has no intention of pulling out.
Campaigning
Polls opened in Virginia at 0600 local time (1100 GMT) and in Maryland and the District of Columbia an hour later.
Baltimore voters give their views ahead of primary elections in Maryland

In pictures

A high turnout is expected in the Democratic vote.
Each candidate is about half way to winning the 2,025 delegates needed to secure victory at the Democratic Party's national convention in August. Virginia has 83 delegates up for grabs, while Maryland offers 70 and the District of Columbia has 15.
Both candidates were campaigning hard on Monday.
Mr Obama addressed a mass rally of students at Maryland university, while his rival spoke at smaller, more targeted events around the region.

Hillary Clinton 12 states, 1,147 delegates
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Barack Obama 19 states, 1,124 delegates
Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington state 2,025 delegates needed for nomination. Source AP (includes all kinds of delegates)

Q&A: US election delegates

Mike Huckabee 8 states, 241 delegates
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee, West Virginia, Kansas, Louisiana

John McCain 13 states, 729 delegates

New Hampshire, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington state

Mitt Romney 11 states, 288 delegates
Campaign suspendedAlaska, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah 1,191 delegates needed for nomination. Source: AP (includes all kinds of delegates)

Mrs Clinton told General Motors staff in Baltimore County, Maryland, that her experience would be key in the battle for the presidency with Senator McCain.
"A lot of these fights are fights you have to have," she said, quoted by the Washington Post. "You can't walk away from them."
But Mr Obama said he, too, was ready for the fight.
"I may be skinny, but I'm tough, too. I'm looking forward to mixing it up with John McCain," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
Polls give Mr Obama a slight lead in the so-called Potomac Primary, named after the river that runs through the two states and the nation's capital.
This follows his weekend victories in Washington state, Louisiana, Nebraska, Maine and the US Virgin Islands.

Mrs Clinton appointed a new campaign manager after the weekend's setbacks.

NEXT CONTESTS
19 Feb: Wisconsin (bi-party), Hawaii caucuses (R)
2 March: Hawaii caucus (D)
4 March: Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont (bi-party)

Castro in spat with McCain

Maggie Williams, who was the New York senator's chief of staff when her husband was serving as US president, will take over from Patti Solis Doyle, who has decided to step down.
Aides say the former First Lady is looking ahead to primaries in the larger states of Ohio and Texas.
She and Mr Obama face a long, drawn-out battle after neither was able to deliver a knockout blow in the 22 state contests of Super Tuesday on 5 February.

BBC NEWS REPORT.