BJP on Thursday announced it will drop 100 sitting MLAs in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the assembly elections. The party says the move is aimed at shoring up its image after a 2024 Lok Sabha loss where it secured only 36 of 80 seats.
The decision follows a bitter ticket‑allocation row that saw the party split between its Delhi and Lucknow units. In 2024, 49 MPs were renominated without accounting for anti‑incumbency, and 27 of them lost, eroding the party's vote share from 49.6% to 41.4%.
Ticket distribution will now be decided by top leadership consensus and data‑driven surveys, with the party refusing to grant tickets to incumbents likely to face a backlash. The party also plans to give seats to youth and women, and will deny tickets to more than a hundred of its 255 MLAs if their chances of victory are doubtful.
The party is also rolling out voter‑turnout initiatives, such as booth‑level committees and public awareness drives, after a 9% drop in turnout in Muzaffarnagar last year. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state president Pankaj Chaudhary have been touring districts to reassure workers.
The finalized ticket list is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, with the party preparing to launch a comprehensive voter‑mobilisation campaign once the list is out.