India, Nov. 6 -- As the Union government moves to revisit the University Grants Commission's (UGC) 2026 equity regulations, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself in a quandary. The Scheduled Caste (SC), ST (Scheduled Tribe) and Other Backward Class (OBC) communities back the stringent safeguards against caste-based discrimination. Upper castes, the BJP's core voter base, have sought protection against the potential misuse of these provisions.

On Thursday, the government, which faced backlash from the upper castes over the regulations that were put in abeyance, told the Supreme Court it will set up a committee to revisit them. The issue is expected to be front and centre of the next round of state polls, including in Uttar ...