LUCKNOW, Sept. 11 -- Six months before Uttar Pradesh goes to polls, BJP's internal assessment is flashing amber. Beyond routine anti-incumbency, four factors - UGC controversy, Gen Z anger over jobs, upper caste unease on quota, and deep cadre fatigue - are working against the ruling party, forcing it to press reset on how it picks candidates for the 2027 battle.

Ticket distribution, always a minefield, has now become BJP's biggest headache. To tackle it, the party is rolling out a four-level feedback mechanism across all 403 assembly seats to check winnability afresh. A large-scale churn of sitting MLAs is on the cards.

"All four reports will be collated at central leadership level before finalising names. The idea is to have a 360-deg...