MLC election result 2026 LIVE: BJP leads 6-5 in UP as SP wins Lucknow, Varanasi result awaits
MLC election result LIVE: The BJP won 13 of 28 MLC seats across four states as votes were counted on October 28, following polls held on October 23. The SP gained in UP, while Jan Suraaj opened its account in Bihar’s upper House.
MLC election result LIVE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 13 of the 28 legislative council seats that went to the polls across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, while the Congress won one. The Samajwadi Party (SP) made gains in Uttar Pradesh, and the Jan Suraaj Party opened its account in Bihar’s upper House....Read More
All 28 seats belonged to graduate or teacher constituencies. Polling was held on October 23 through ballot papers, but counting stretched over nearly two days amid chaos, allegations and protests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commented on the results on X, asking how many seats the Congress had won in the elections across the four states.
Uttar Pradesh
The BJP retained its tally of six seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the SP won five, increasing its tally by two compared with the previous election in 2020. The results come ahead of the state assembly elections due next year, in which the BJP is seeking a third consecutive term.
The BJP retained seats in Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Lucknow, Agra and Gorakhpur-Faizabad, including the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teacher seat by a narrow margin of 307 votes.
However, the party faced setbacks in Varanasi, where the SP retained both graduate and teacher constituencies. The SP also won the Agra teacher seat, the Allahabad-Jhansi graduate seat and the Lucknow graduate seat.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav described the results as a major setback for the BJP, claiming the party had been “completely wiped out” in the UP MLC elections.
The BJP holds 79 seats in the 100-member Uttar Pradesh legislative council, while the SP has 10.
Karnataka
The Congress failed to win any of the four seats in Karnataka, with the JD(S) wresting the Bengaluru teacher constituency from the ruling party. The BJP retained the North-East teacher, South-East graduate and West graduate seats, defeating Congress candidates.
The results were an embarrassment for chief minister DK Shivakumar, who said the party would examine where it had gone wrong and take corrective steps.
Karnataka BJP chief BY Vijayendra called the results a rejection of the Congress, while Union minister HD Kumaraswamy said the NDA's performance sent a message ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.
The state's 75-member legislative council has 38 Congress members, 24 BJP members and six JD(S) members, apart from one independent member and the chairman. Five nominated seats are vacant.
Bihar
In Bihar, the BJP won three of the eight seats, while the JD(U), RJD and Jan Suraaj Party won one each. Independents secured the remaining two seats.
Jan Suraaj candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga teacher constituency, marking the party's entry into the legislative council.
The BJP's notable victory came in Tirhut, Muzaffarpur, which was previously held by the CPI's Sanjay Kumar Singh. However, the party suffered a setback in the Patna teacher seat, where five-time winner Nawal Kishore Yadav lost to the RJD's Sanjeev Kumar.
In the Patna graduate constituency, JD(U)'s Neeraj Kumar defeated RJD candidate Dilip Kumar amid internal dissent within the JD(U). Mokama MLA Anant Kumar Singh had campaigned against Neeraj Kumar and backed Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Singh. The JD(U) later suspended Anant Singh for six years over alleged anti-party activities.
Neeraj Kumar said the result showed that “money power and muscle power have lost”, crediting party workers and public support for his victory.
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, the Congress pulled off a surprise win in the Nagpur graduate constituency, with sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari defeating the BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale after the counting of second-preference votes. The MVA won two seats and was leading in another, while the ruling Mahayuti secured two seats.
The BJP won the Pune teacher constituency, while the Shiv Sena secured the Amravati teacher seat. The Nationalist Congress Party did not win any seat.
The NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won the Pune graduate constituency and was leading in Aurangabad, while the Congress won the Nagpur graduate seat. The Shiv Sena (UBT) failed to win a seat.
In Nagpur, Congress candidate and sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari defeated BJP's Sudhakar Kohale in a closely fought contest in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis's home district. Wanjari's victory came after second-preference votes were counted, as Kohale failed to reach the required quota in the first round.
Rebellions within both the Mahayuti and the MVA affected the prospects of official candidates in several constituencies.
What are legislative council elections?
A legislative council functions as the upper House of a state's legislature, similar to the Rajya Sabha at the national level. Members of legislative councils, known as MLCs, serve six-year terms, with one-third retiring every two years.
Only six Indian states have bicameral legislatures, with both legislative assemblies and councils.
Members are elected through different constituencies. Local authorities elect one-third of the members, graduates elect one-twelfth, and teachers with the required experience elect another one-twelfth. The governor nominates the remaining members from fields such as literature, science and social service.
Candidates must be at least 30 years old to contest legislative council elections, compared with the minimum age of 25 for Lok Sabha and state assembly elections.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 02:09:11 PM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: SP’s Ashutosh Sinha leads BJP’s Kedar Nath Singh by over 17,000 votes after 21 rounds in Varanasi
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Samajwadi Party candidate Ashutosh Sinha secured 52,060 votes against BJP nominee Kedar Nath Singh’s 34,766 after the 21st round of counting in the Varanasi Graduates’ constituency, leading by 17,294 votes.
- 29 Oct 2026, 01:41:12 PM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Himanta Sarma mocks Congress over MLC poll tally: ‘Yes, you have won ONE seat, not ZERO’
My deepest apologies to Congress! Yes, you have won ONE seat, not ZERO. 😂
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 29, 2026MLC election result 2026 LIVE: BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma took a dig at the Congress over its performance in the MLC elections, saying, “My deepest apologies to Congress! Yes, you have won ONE seat, not ZERO.” His remarks came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a swipe at the Congress over its tally, highlighting that polling for the 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka was held using ballot papers and asking how many seats the party had won.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 01:37:17 PM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: ‘Electoral process flawed,’ says Karnataka minister Sharan Prakash Patil
VIDEO | Bengaluru: On MLC polls results, Karnataka Minister Sharan Prakash Patil says, “Our country’s electoral process is flawed, and this has been done with the mala fide intention of depriving a section of the community of its voting rights. This is certainly not a well-intentioned move. The Election Commissioner, in connivance with Modi and Amit Shah, is trying to create an electoral college that suits their convenience. That is what I believe, and that is also the party’s position…A huge number of votes have been deleted, haven’t they? We are certainly not satisfied with this, because the deletion of one crore votes in Karnataka alone is a huge number. What will happen to those who have been left out? The Election Commissioner and the Election Commission are doing this with a mala fide intention.” (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 29, 2026MLC election result 2026 LIVE: On MLC polls results, Karnataka Minister Sharan Prakash Patil says, “Our country’s electoral process is flawed, and this has been done with the mala fide intention of depriving a section of the community of its voting rights. This is certainly not a well-intentioned move. The Election Commissioner, in connivance with Modi and Amit Shah, is trying to create an electoral college that suits their convenience. That is what I believe, and that is also the party’s position…A huge number of votes have been deleted, haven’t they? We are certainly not satisfied with this, because the deletion of one crore votes in Karnataka alone is a huge number. What will happen to those who have been left out? The Election Commissioner and the Election Commission are doing this with a mala fide intention.”
- 29 Oct 2026, 01:11:06 PM IST
MLC election results 2026 LIVE: UP MLC polls: BJP wins 6, SP poised to win 5
MLC election results 2026 LIVE: The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections could throw up a six-five result. While the BJP has already won six of the 11 seats, the Samajwadi Party is poised to bag five with three results announced and two yet to be.
A senior district official said on Thursday that the SP has won the Lucknow Graduates' constituency. The BJP candidate for the Varanasi Graduates' constituency conceded defeat.
Polling for the 11 Legislative Council seats was held on October 23 and the counting of votes began on Tuesday.
According to results declared by the end of Wednesday, the BJP had won Agra Graduates' constituency, Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers' constituency, Lucknow Teachers' constituency, Meerut Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies, and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' constituency.
The SP had won Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' constituency, and Varanasi and Agra-Aligarh Teachers' constituencies.
A senior district official told PTI that SP candidate Kanti Singh has won the Lucknow Graduates' constituency and has been issued the certificate of election.
According to data shared earlier, Kanti Singh had received 51,168 votes against 36,313 secured by BJP nominee Avneesh Kumar Singh after more than eight rounds of counting.
In Varanasi Graduates' constituency, SP's Ashutosh Sinha had received 50,462 votes against BJP candidate Kedar Nath Singh's 33,478 after the ninth round of counting of first-preference votes, data showed.
Kedar Nath Singh conceded defeat in a social media post. He thanked voters for their support and said he accepted the mandate with humility and in accordance with democratic norms.
Via PTI
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- 29 Oct 2026, 12:41:00 PM IST
MLC election results 2026 LIVE: BJP rebel candidate cost NDA Nagpur seat, says Athawale
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Congress winning the MLC elections from the Nagpur seat, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale says, "The reason for the outcome in Nagpur is that there was a 'rebel' candidate, specifically, a rebel from the BJP. There was another rebel as well, though he withdrew; however, the presence of a rebel candidate led to our defeat. I wouldn't necessarily call it a success for the Congress, but that’s how it is. Out of the 28 seats across the country, the Congress party managed to win only one. Even in Karnataka, where they are in power, they didn't win. The majority of the 28 seats were won by the BJP and the NDA. Therefore, we believe that the country's inclination is towards the NDA."
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2026MLC election results 2026 LIVE: Union minister Ramdas Athawale attributed the BJP’s defeat in the Nagpur graduate constituency to a rebel candidate from the party, saying the contest was affected by internal dissent.
- 29 Oct 2026, 12:18:05 PM IST
MLC election result 2026: NCP flags infighting within Mahayuti after poll setbacks
Infighting within the Mahayuti is now out in the open. BJP accuses Shiv Sena (ES) of sabotaging elections in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. NCP (AP), which drew a blank in the polls, calls for organisational rehaul. Big Q: will the 3 parties contest in 2029 together?
— Anish Gawande (@anishgawande) October 29, 2026MLC election result 2026: NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) national spokesperson Anish Gawande flagged infighting within Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti alliance following the MLC election results, saying tensions among its constituent parties were now out in the open.
“BJP accuses Shiv Sena (ES) of sabotaging elections in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. NCP (AP), which drew a blank in the polls, calls for organisational rehaul.”
"Big Q: will the 3 parties contest in 2029 together?", he asked.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 12:12:57 PM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi questions Modi’s remarks on MLC elections
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on MLC elections, asking why he was not speaking on what he described as the “stealing of democracy”.
“Why is the PM not speaking on the stealing of democracy? We have heard what the Union Home Minister had to say. Why can't the PM speak on this most important observation? Instead, he is speaking on MLC elections,” Gogoi said.
Via ANI.
- 29 Oct 2026, 12:04:19 PM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Congress will be ‘NOTA party’ again in UP in 2027, says BJP’s Pradeep Bhandari
The entire Congress ecosystem rattled by the complete Wipeout of Congress in MLC polls is spreading a Fake Narative on Varanasi! The Varanasi Teachers seat was with Samajwadi Party's Lal Bihar Yadav even in 2020! The BJP swept Varanasi with all 8/8 seats in the district in 2022 Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh! 2022 Congress became a NOTA party in Uttar Pradesh! 2027 Congress will yet again become a NOTA party in Uttar Pradesh! 2022 NDA came to power in Uttar Pradesh under PM @narendramodi & CM Yogi Adityanath. 2027 NDA will again come to power in Uttar Pradesh under PM Modi, & CM Yogi Adityanath.
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) October 29, 2026MLC election result 2026 LIVE: BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari hit back at the Congress over its remarks on the MLC election results, accusing the party of spreading a “fake narrative” about Varanasi. He pointed out that the Varanasi teacher constituency was held by the Samajwadi Party’s Lal Bihari Yadav in 2020 and said the BJP had won all eight assembly seats in the district in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections. Bhandari also predicted that the Congress would again be reduced to a “NOTA party” in the state in 2027, asserting that the NDA would return to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 11:52:54 AM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: ‘Varanasi rejected Modi, Nagpur rejected RSS,’ Congress MP Jebi Mather says
#WATCH | Delhi: On PM Modi's tweet, Congress MP Jebi Mather says, "The Prime Minister was in a hurry to tweet. He should look first into his own garden and his headquarters, or the RSS's garden. Now, in the garden of the Prime Minister's home constituency, the INDIA bloc is blooming. And also at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, it is the Congress flower which has bloomed. So the message is very clear: the people of Varanasi rejected the Prime Minister; the people of Nagpur rejected the RSS, so it is a big rejection for them... Let's go back to paper ballots. Even big democracies across the world have shifted back to ballots. We can also shift back to ballots."
— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2026MLC Election Result 2026 LIVE: On PM Modi's tweet, Congress MP Jebi Mather says, "The Prime Minister was in a hurry to tweet. He should look first into his own garden and his headquarters, or the RSS's garden. Now, in the garden of the Prime Minister's home constituency, the INDIA bloc is blooming. And also at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, it is the Congress flower which has bloomed. So the message is very clear: the people of Varanasi rejected the Prime Minister; the people of Nagpur rejected the RSS, so it is a big rejection for them... Let's go back to paper ballots. Even big democracies across the world have shifted back to ballots. We can also shift back to ballots."
- 29 Oct 2026, 11:46:06 AM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Supriya Shrinate takes swipe at BJP after MLC poll results
• बनारस - PM नरेंद्र मोदी का लोकसभा क्षेत्र • पटना - BJP अध्यक्ष नितिन नबीन का क्षेत्र • नागपुर- देवेंद्र फड़नवीस और RSS का गढ़ BJP सब हारी - जब बैलट से चुनाव हुआ सारे गढ़ ध्वस्त हो गए सारी हीरोबाज़ी निकल गई टाँय टाँय फिस्स और मोदी जी की टीम तो उनकी फ़ज़ीहत करने में कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ रही बड़ा ट्वीट ट्वीट खेल रहे थे चलिए चुनौती है - कराइये सारे चुनाव बैलट पर निपट जायेंगे - जैसे अभी गढ़ों में निपटे हैं
— Supriya Shrinate (@SupriyaShrinate) October 29, 2026MLC Election Result 2026 LIVE: Congress leader Supriya Shrinate took a swipe at the BJP following the MLC election results, pointing to the party’s setbacks in Varanasi, Patna and Nagpur. Noting that Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, Patna is associated with BJP president Nitin Nabin and Nagpur is a stronghold of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the RSS, Shrinate said the BJP had “lost everything” when elections were conducted using ballot papers. She also challenged the party to hold all elections through ballot papers, alleging that its strongholds had been defeated.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 11:43:41 AM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: SP claims Ashutosh Sinha wins Varanasi Graduate seat
MLC Election Result 2026 LIVE: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ashutosh Sinha has won the Varanasi Graduate constituency by 16,999 votes, according to a claim by the party.
- 29 Oct 2026, 11:10:30 AM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: Congress wins Nagpur MLC poll; MVA gets three seats, BJP, Shiv Sena one each
MLC Election Result 2026 LIVE: Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari was on Thursday declared the winner in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections from Nagpur after a keenly-watched vote counting exercise that stretched for more than 40 hours.
Wanjari defeated BJP's Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes to retain the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency seat, which has been a traditional stronghold of the saffron party.
The counting of votes began on Tuesday morning and concluded in the wee hours of Thursday.
Wanjari, a sitting MLC, secured 67,231 votes, while Kohale, a former MLA, got 63,960 votes.
It is a big setback for the BJP as it has lost in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari who had campaigned extensively for Kohale.
Gadkari was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from the Nagpur graduates' constituency for 24 years, from July 1990, to May 2014.
With the Congress nominee's victory, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has won three of the five MLC seats in the October 23 elections. The BJP-led ruling Mahayuti alliance got two seats.
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- 29 Oct 2026, 11:06:39 AM IST
MLC election result 2026 LIVE: PM Modi Narendra reacts to poll results
MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won? 🧐
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2026MLC election results LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress over its performance in the legislative council elections, highlighting that polling for 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka was conducted using ballot papers. “Guess how many seats Congress won?” he asked in a post on X, adding an emoji.