The MLC poll results from four states have given the Bharatiya Janata Party the largest share of seats, while the Congress failed to win a single one of the 28 Legislative Council constituencies that went to the polls. According to The Tribune, the BJP had won 13 seats by late Wednesday, and with its allies the National Democratic Alliance’s tally stood at 16. The elections covered Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra, and were conducted through ballot papers.
The Overall Picture
Counting was still continuing for a few seats when the latest figures were compiled, so tallies may shift. As of late Wednesday, the BJP had won five of 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, three of four in Karnataka, three of eight in Bihar and two of five in Maharashtra. Its allies, the JD(U), the JD(S) and the Shiv Sena, added the remaining three seats to the NDA total. Different outlets have reported slightly different running tallies at various points in the count, which is common while preference votes are still being counted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress on social media, asking how many seats the party had won in elections held through ballot papers. The Congress and the NCP (SP) responded by challenging the Centre to hold all future Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on ballot papers. Congress communications chief Pawan Khera said the Prime Minister should prove his confidence through action rather than rhetoric.
Uttar Pradesh: SP Dents the BJP in Varanasi
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP retained five of the six seats it held, winning the Meerut-Saharanpur and Agra Graduates’ constituencies, as well as the Teachers’ constituencies of Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Lucknow. The Samajwadi Party, however, won three seats, including the Varanasi Teachers’ constituency in the Prime Minister’s own Lok Sabha segment, and was leading in the Varanasi Graduates’ seat as counting progressed. It also won the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’ and Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ constituencies.
The results do not alter the BJP’s overall dominance. India TV noted that the party already holds 79 of the 99 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. Even so, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, buoyed by the wins ahead of next year’s Assembly elections, urged workers to celebrate with restraint.
Bihar: Jan Suraaj Scores a Maiden Win
Bihar produced some of the biggest surprises. Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party opened its account in the Legislative Council by winning the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, which was previously held by the Congress. The RJD captured the Patna Teachers’ seat by defeating five-term BJP MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav. Five sitting members lost their seats across the eight constituencies, including one each from the BJP and the Congress. The BJP won three seats and independents took two.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hailed the result, saying his party had registered a victory in these elections after nearly two-and-a-half decades. For Jan Suraaj, the win offers an early institutional foothold after the party’s debut in state politics.
Karnataka: NDA Sweeps All Four Seats
In Karnataka, the NDA won all four seats, in what the Tribune described as an embarrassment for Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who took oath only in June this year. The BJP won the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, while the JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency from the Congress, according to Deccan Herald. Officials and analysts quoted by the newspaper said the outcome is unlikely to affect the stability of the Congress government, though it is seen as a moral boost for the BJP-JD(S) combination.
Maharashtra: A Split Verdict
In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi shared the five seats. The Free Press Journal reported that Mahayuti won three, with the BJP taking the Pune Teachers’ and Nagpur Graduates’ constituencies and the Shiv Sena winning Amravati Teachers’. The NCP (SP) won the Pune Graduates’ and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates’ seats, the latter by defeating three-term MLC Satish Chavan of the NCP.
What the MLC Poll Results Signal
Legislative Council elections for graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies involve small, educated electorates and often turn on local factors, so analysts caution against reading them as a direct verdict on a state’s wider mood. Nevertheless, the MLC poll results give each camp something to claim. The BJP and its allies can point to a clear lead in seats, the Samajwadi Party and RJD can cite gains from the BJP, and Jan Suraaj can mark its first legislative presence.
For the Congress, the absence of a single win across four states is likely to intensify pressure on its organisation, even as it continues to press its demand for a return to ballot-paper voting in major elections.
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