The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has emerged as the leading force in the latest Legislative Council elections across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Bihar, but the results have also delivered important victories for opposition parties. The Congress faced a major setback, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) strengthened its position in Uttar Pradesh and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured a significant win in Maharashtra.
Elections were held for 28 Legislative Council seats across the four states on October 23, with counting extending into October 28 and 29 in several constituencies. The NDA won 16 seats, while the BJP emerged as the biggest individual party with 13 victories, according to reported results. The Congress, which contested 12 seats, failed to win any, highlighting the challenges facing the party in state-level electoral contests.
The results covered graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, where eligible voters include registered graduates and members of the teaching community. Although these elections are different from direct Assembly polls, their outcomes offer political parties an opportunity to assess their organisational strength, candidate selection and support among specific voter groups.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP retained its overall advantage, winning six of the 11 Legislative Council seats, while the Samajwadi Party secured five. The contest was closely watched because it came months before the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, when both parties will be looking to strengthen their political positions.
The BJP maintained its hold over several teachers’ constituencies, but the SP made important gains in seats that had previously favoured the ruling party. Its victories in Lucknow and Varanasi were particularly significant. Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency, making the result an important political talking point for the opposition.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav can view the improved performance as a boost ahead of the Assembly elections. The party’s gains suggest that the BJP will need to address local electoral challenges even in constituencies where it has traditionally enjoyed an advantage. The results also underline the importance of candidate choice, voter outreach and booth-level organisation.
Karnataka delivered a stronger result for the BJP-led alliance. The NDA won all four Legislative Council seats contested in the state, dealing a setback to the ruling Congress. The BJP retained three seats, while its ally Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), won the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency.
The outcome is politically important because Karnataka is governed by the Congress. The results give the BJP and JD(S) an opportunity to project their alliance as electorally competitive, even as the Congress faces questions about its performance. However, Legislative Council elections involve a limited and specialised electorate, so the results should not be treated as a direct forecast of the next Assembly election.
Maharashtra produced one of the most closely watched contests. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi won three of the five seats, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance secured two. The outcome exposed differences within the BJP-led alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.
The biggest talking point was Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari’s victory in the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency. He defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes, securing 67,231 votes against Kohale’s 63,960. The result was a setback for the BJP in Nagpur, the home turf of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
The prolonged counting process added to the drama, with the contest extending beyond 40 hours as officials examined preference votes. Wanjari’s win allowed the Congress to retain the seat and gave the opposition fresh ammunition to target the BJP leadership.
The BJP and its allies also faced criticism over coordination and seat-sharing arrangements. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) won the Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduates’ constituencies, while the BJP secured the Pune Teachers’ seat and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won the Amravati Teachers’ constituency. The results raised questions about how effectively the Mahayuti partners coordinated their campaigns.
Bihar delivered a mixed verdict. The NDA won four of the eight seats, with the BJP taking three and the JD(U) securing one. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party and independent candidates also made their presence felt.
Jan Suraaj entered the Bihar Legislative Council for the first time after its candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency. The result marked an important milestone for Kishor’s party as it seeks to establish itself in Bihar politics.
Another major upset came in the Patna Teachers’ constituency, where RJD candidate Sanjeev Kumar Singh defeated BJP veteran Nawal Kishore Yadav, ending the latter’s long hold on the seat. Independent candidates also won contests, underlining the role of local factors and candidate appeal.
