India, Nov. 3 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained six MLC seats in Uttar Pradesh (UP) in the recent polls but its loss of two seats in Varanasi and one in Lucknow reflects the brewing angst of the upper caste community against the party.

A union minister recently expressed confidence in managing the upper caste community, particularly the Brahmins' anger over the controversial UGC amendment, in a private chat. But the election results confirm the palpable fear in the party that this issue could significantly impact the forthcoming 2027 assembly elections. Publicly, the BJP has downplayed the contentious issue.

In January 2026, the central government notified the University Grants Commission's (Promotion of Equity in Higher Educ...