NDA Leads Legislative Council Polls as PM Modi Targets Congress Over Ballot Paper Results

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance secured a majority of the Legislative Council seats contested across four states in elections conducted using paper ballots. Following the announcement of the outcomes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress party over its dismal performance despite the election being conducted through ballot papers, which had been a key demand of Opposition parties.

Out of 28 Legislative Council seats that went to the polls across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Karnataka on October 23, the NDA won 16 seats, including 13 by the BJP. In contrast, the Congress managed to win only a single seat, which came from Maharashtra's Nagpur Graduates constituency.

NDA Gains Across Four States

The elections covered 28 seats across four major states: six teachers and five graduates constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, four teachers and four graduates seats in Bihar, two teachers and two graduates seats in Karnataka, and three graduates and two teachers seats in Maharashtra.

Reacting to the electoral outcomes, Prime Minister Modi posted on X questioning the Congress performance in elections held via paper ballots, pointing out that the party had been demanding a move away from Electronic Voting Machines. The Congress-led INDIA bloc has consistently campaigned against EVMs, advocating for paper ballots in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Blow for Congress in Karnataka and UP

In party-ruled Karnataka, the Congress suffered a major defeat by failing to win any of the four seats up for election. The BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) swept all four graduates and teachers seats. The BJP retained the North East Teachers, South East Graduates, and West Graduates constituencies, while the JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers constituency from the Congress.

While the defeat in Karnataka does not alter the Congress majority in the 75-member Upper House, where it holds 38 MLC seats, the result has boosted the local Opposition. Union Minister and senior JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy termed the NDA's performance historic and a signal ahead of the 2028 state Assembly elections.

In Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are scheduled in four months, the BJP won six out of 11 MLC seats, while the Samajwadi Party won three seats. The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party did not contest the UP MLC polls, stating they were focusing on preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.

The BJP won the Agra Graduates seat through Manvendra Pratap Singh, the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers seat via Hari Singh Dhillon, and the Lucknow Teachers constituency where Umesh Dwivedi defeated SP candidate Sushil Kumar. The BJP also took both Teachers and Graduates seats in Meerut, as well as the Gorakhpur-Faizabad division Teachers constituency with candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi.

The Samajwadi Party secured the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates seat with Mansingh Yadav and the Agra Teachers seat with Akash Agrawal. Additionally, SP candidate Lal Bihari Yadav retained the Varanasi Teachers constituency by defeating the BJP nominee.

MVA Resurgence in Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition won three out of five seats, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance secured two. The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) won the Pune Graduates seat through Pratapsinh Patil and the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates seat.

The BJP won the Pune Teachers seat, where Kaustubh Gawde defeated sitting Congress MLC Jayant Asagaonkar, while its ally Shiv Sena retained the Amravati Teachers seat with candidate Kiran Sarnaik. However, Congress candidate Abhijit Vanjari retained the Nagpur Graduates seat by defeating BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohle in the home region of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP drew a blank in Maharashtra, prompting senior leader Praful Patel and state president Sunil Tatkare to call for organizational introspection following the loss of its sitting seat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Wins Debut Seat in Bihar

In Bihar's election across eight seats, the Prashant Kishor-led Jan Suraaj Party recorded its first victory in Legislative Council polls. JSP candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga Teachers seat.

The BJP won three seats in Bihar, including the Tirhut Teachers seat with Narendra Prasad Singh, alongside victories in the Darbhanga Graduates and Kosi Graduates constituencies. The Janata Dal (United) won the Patna Graduates seat with Neeraj Kumar, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal won the Patna Teachers seat through Sanjiv Kumar, who defeated sitting BJP MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav.

Independents won two seats in Bihar, with Rahul Raj defeating sitting Independent MLC Afaq Ahmed in Saran Teachers, and Bansidhar Brijwasi retaining the Tirhut Graduates constituency.