BJP Secures UP & Karnataka MLC Wins; Opposition Triumphs in Maharashtra

The Cliff News | 29 October 2026

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the dominant force in the recent Legislative Council (MLC) elections held across four states, securing a significant number of seats in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. However, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra has demonstrated resilience by clinching three out of the five declared seats, notably retaining the crucial Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency.

The election results, declared on October 29, 2026, saw the BJP and its allies performing strongly, underscoring their continuing electoral prowess. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP secured victory in six out of eleven Legislative Council seats. The Samajwadi Party managed to win three seats, indicating a significant, though not overwhelming, presence.

BJP's Dominance in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP's wins spanned across key constituencies. The party clinched the Agra Graduates' constituency, the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers' constituency, and the Lucknow Teachers' constituency. Further reinforcing their hold, the BJP also secured both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies in Meerut, and the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' seat. The latter win, however, has been met with allegations of voter manipulation by independent candidate Rajiv Yadav.

The Samajwadi Party's victories in Uttar Pradesh included the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' constituency and the Teachers' constituencies in Varanasi and Agra-Aligarh. These wins represent a critical foothold for the party amidst the BJP's widespread success.

Karnataka presented a different picture, where the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), comprising the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular), swept all four seats contested. This outcome marks a considerable setback for the incumbent Congress government in the state. The BJP individually won three seats: Shashil G Namoshi in the North-East Teachers' constituency, SV Sanknur in the West Graduates' constituency, and KM Suresh in the South-East Graduates' constituency.

MVA's Resilience in Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the MVA coalition, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), managed to secure three out of five declared Legislative Council seats. A particularly significant win for the MVA was the Congress candidate Abhijit Govindrao Wanjarri's victory in the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency. This region is widely regarded as a stronghold of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, and is the home city of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Wanjarri defeated his BJP rival, Sudhakar Kohle, by a margin of 3,271 votes after a lengthy counting process involving ballot papers. This victory marks the Congress's first opening in the Legislative Council elections across the four states and is considered a major symbolic win, given Nagpur's political significance, which also falls within the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

"The BJP had made an extensive effort to win the election but failed to produce results," stated Wanjarri to reporters, emphasizing voter support. "The way the BJP put its all into these elections; big leaders of the BJP were in Nagpur. However, voters were with us."

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal highlighted the significance of defeating the BJP nominee in the RSS headquarters. "The balloon of illusion has burst; hatred has been defeated," Sapkal remarked on platform X.

Beyond the Nagpur seat, the MVA also claimed victory in the Pune Graduates' constituency through the NCP (SP). Furthermore, the NCP (SP) asserted its lead in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) Graduates' constituency. Both these seats were previously held by the undivided NCP before its split in 2023, a development that has now seen these constituencies shift to the MVA.

Overall in Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti allies, the BJP and the Shiv Sena, each secured one seat. Counting was still ongoing for two other seats at the time of reporting.

BJP Secures Wins in Bihar

In Bihar, the BJP has also made its presence felt, winning two declared seats. Narendra Singh secured the Tirhut Teachers' constituency, and NK Yadav won the Kosi Graduates' seat. The party was also reported to be leading in the Darbhanga Graduates' constituency, where counting was in progress.

The results from these Legislative Council elections across multiple states provide a comprehensive overview of the current political landscape, highlighting the BJP's continued strength in key regions while also underscoring the opposition's ability to mount effective challenges in strategically important areas.