New Delhi: The Legislative Council (MLC) elections across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra have delivered a mixed verdict, with the Congress suffering a major setback, the BJP and its allies registering significant gains, and regional parties emerging as key challengers in several constituencies.
The elections covered 28 seats across the four states, with polling held on October 23 and counting beginning on October 27. The contests were held in graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, where voters from these specific categories elect their representatives to the Legislative Councils.
The biggest blow came for the Congress, which failed to win any of the 12 seats it contested across Karnataka, Bihar and Maharashtra. The BJP–Janata Dal (Secular) alliance swept all four seats in Karnataka, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) registered important victories in Uttar Pradesh. Bihar witnessed notable upsets, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) defeating a veteran BJP legislator and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party securing its first Legislative Council seat.
कांग्रेस ने 28 में से कितनी सीटें जीती…”0″
Ballot Box इस्तीफ़ा दो… https://t.co/1gmrxM0GXW
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 28, 2026
Karnataka: BJP–JD(S) Alliance Sweeps All Four Seats
Karnataka delivered a clean sweep for the BJP–JD(S) alliance, dealing a significant setback to the ruling Congress. The BJP retained three seats—North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’—while the JD(S) captured the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency.
JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes in Bengaluru Teachers’, adding to the Congress’s electoral embarrassment in the state.
The result is a political boost for the BJP–JD(S) alliance, which demonstrated its ability to coordinate effectively in the specialised graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies. For the Congress, the defeat raises questions about its organisational strength and voter outreach, despite being in power in Karnataka.
Uttar Pradesh: BJP Maintains Edge, SP Makes Gains
Uttar Pradesh witnessed a competitive contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, with both parties winning key constituencies. The BJP secured five seats in the latest reported results, while the SP won three, as counting continued in the remaining constituencies.
The BJP retained the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’ and Lucknow Teachers’ seats and won both the Meerut Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies. The SP registered important victories in the Varanasi Teachers’ and Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ constituencies, along with the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’ seat.
The SP’s performance is politically significant as the state prepares for the 2027 Assembly elections. The results indicate that the party remains competitive in selected constituencies, even as the BJP maintains an advantage in the declared results.
The final picture in Uttar Pradesh remained incomplete, with counting continuing in several seats and disputes reported over aspects of the counting process.
Bihar: RJD Topples BJP Veteran, Jan Suraaj Opens Account
Bihar produced some of the most striking upsets of the election round. RJD candidate Dr Sanjeev Kumar defeated veteran BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav in the Patna Teachers’ constituency, ending the latter’s long hold on the seat.
Jan Suraaj Party candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency. The victory marked the party’s first entry into the Bihar Legislative Council and provided a significant boost to Prashant Kishor’s political project.
The BJP secured the Tirhut Teachers’ seat through Narendra Prasad Singh, while independent candidate Rahul Raj defeated sitting MLC Afaq Ahmed in the Saran Teachers’ constituency.
The results underline the fragmented nature of Bihar’s political contest, with the BJP, RJD, Jan Suraaj and independent candidates all making their presence felt. Counting in the remaining graduates’ constituencies was still underway in the latest updates.
Maharashtra: Contest Remains Close
Maharashtra remained a closely watched battleground, with counting continuing in five Legislative Council constituencies. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi were competing in three graduates’ and two teachers’ constituencies.
BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune Teachers’ seat, while Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Sarnaik secured the Amravati Teachers’ constituency. In the remaining contests, candidates from the BJP and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) were among those leading in the latest reports.
With the remaining results yet to be fully declared, the overall balance of gains and losses in Maharashtra remained uncertain.
Congress Under Pressure After Ballot-Paper Elections
The Congress’s failure to win any of the 12 seats it contested has emerged as one of the defining features of the election round. The setback was particularly pronounced in Karnataka, where the party lost a sitting seat to the JD(S) and failed to secure any victory.
The results also triggered a political exchange over the use of ballot papers. BJP leaders took aim at the Congress, pointing out that these MLC elections were conducted using ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines, amid the Congress’s criticism of the EVM-based electoral process.
The Congress did not contest the Uttar Pradesh MLC elections, where the BJP and SP fought for the available seats. Its performance in the other three states, however, has raised concerns about its ability to retain support among graduates and teachers.
Mixed Verdict, Major Setback for Congress
The four-state MLC elections have produced gains for several political formations rather than a uniform sweep by one party. The BJP and JD(S) achieved a clean sweep in Karnataka, the BJP maintained a strong position in Uttar Pradesh, and the RJD and Jan Suraaj scored significant victories in Bihar. Maharashtra’s remaining results were awaited in the latest updates.
Although these elections involve a limited electorate of registered graduates and teachers, they offer political parties an important measure of organisational strength, candidate appeal and alliance effectiveness.
For the Congress, the failure to win any of the seats it contested is a serious setback. For the BJP and its allies, the results provide momentum ahead of upcoming electoral battles, while the SP, RJD and Jan Suraaj have demonstrated that regional contests can still produce significant political surprises.
