India Today's reporters, spread out across all the districts of Uttar Pradesh, asked the ordinary citizens about the impact of demonetisation on their lives and whether the all-important Assembly elections of 2017 would witness a likely fallout from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "surgical strike" on black money.

Here's what our foot soldiers gathered from India's most important poll battleground.

1. BJP's popularity in UP peaked in the days after the surgical strike by the Indian Army. Post-demonetisation, the party's popularity has dipped.

2. What was earlier seen as a clear lead for the BJP has now turned into a close battle between the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has managed to build a positive pan-UP image of a development oriented leader. The perception around the chief minister is much more favourable than the image of the Samajwadi Party.

3. Of the 71 districts analysed, the BJP was seen as favourite in 32 districts while the SP led in 30. While the BJP seems to have an upper hand at present, the shared sentiment across the state was that the poll scenario could change if the Samajwadi Party and the Congress manage to forge a tie-up. Muslims may have been disillusioned by the SP to begin with, but are again gravitating towards the Samajwadi Party in the absence of a viable alternative. A possible tie-up with the Congress could make things very tricky for the BJP.

4. Mayawati's BSP has not been able to make significant in-roads among voters in the build up to this crucial election. Our reporters believed the BSP was leading in only seven districts in UP.

5. Despite Prashant Kishor's strategising and Rahul Gandhi's high voltage campaign, the Congress remains a fringe player in the state leading in but one district. This is the same as Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal. The RLD too is seen as leading in just one district.

6. District after district in UP is reporting a reverse migration of labourers who have been forced to return because they were not paid wages in the city due to the cash crunch.

7. Demonetisation has hit the local industry very hard. Farmers too are moaning about not being able to buy seeds. On an average, factories report that output is down by at least 30 percent

8. Women are upset that they had to reveal their hidden savings to their husbands so that the stashed away cash could be converted into new notes.

9. While people across the state continue to be gravely inconvenienced, they believe that PM Modi has the nation's best interests at heart. It is only the PM's popularity that has prevented the situation from going out of hand.

10. Ordinary citizens are attaching a lot of significance to the December 30 deadline. They have faith in the PM's promise that the situation would return to normal by December end. If the situation remains grim in the New Year, the BJP's popularity can witness a sharp dip.