Lucknow, Oct. 20 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to field eight fresh faces for the Rajya Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh, and drop all its sitting members, including two Union ministers, has put the spotlight on the prospects of party MLAs aspiring to get a ticket for the 2027 assembly elections. The surprise move is believed to have reinforced speculation within the party that the leadership could significantly reshuffle candidates in the assembly polls with constituency-level feedback set to emerge as an important criterion for ticket distribution. "The party's Rajya Sabha list, which included no sitting member among the eight nominees, has certainly caused some sense of unease and insecurity among some sitting legislators," a senior BJP leader said, adding, "There is concern that incumbency or previous electoral performance may not by itself guarantee a ticket if the constituency feedback happens to be adverse." A recent internal assessment is learnt to have identified more than 100 sitting MLAs facing anti-incumbency at the ground level, and the party is examining the possibility of replacing a substantial number of them. The assessment was reportedly based on feedback from a large number of constituencies represented by BJP MLAs. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which has traditionally played an important role in the BJP's organisational and electoral strategy, is also believed to have stepped up its feedback exercise, gathering inputs on sitting MLAs and ticket aspirants, including their winnability. "The newly appointed party office bearers too have been asked to gather feedback about BJP MLAs and other ticket seekers during their 'pravas' (stay) in various districts," the BJP leader said. The speculation has, in fact, gained greater significance from the BJP's bitter experience in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, where its Uttar Pradesh tally fell to 33 from 62 seats in 2019. The party's post-poll assessment reportedly flagged candidate selection and local disconnect among the factors behind its underwhelming performance. As many as 27 of the 49 sitting MPs who were given the ticket in 2024 lost their seats. "It is because of the 2024 Lok Sabha setback also that the wholesale replacement of its Rajya Sabha members is being viewed by some in the organisation as an indication that the leadership is willing to give greater weight to political and organisational considerations and feedback than to incumbency," another BJP leader and former spokesman said. Though Rajya Sabha and assembly elections are different exercises requiring distinct equations and considerations for candidate selection, the latest Rajya Sabha nominations, coming just two months before the state assembly elections, have left many grappling with a larger question about the prospects of sitting MLAs....