Lal Bihari Yadav just took the Varanasi Teachers’ seat. It’s a blow to the BJP’s narrative in the state’s most politically charged district. The SP candidate defeated BJP’s Pramod Mishra, marking a rare flip in a constituency the ruling party has long considered a fortress.
But the night didn’t end with that win. In Gorakhpur, the counting process turned toxic. SP candidate Sanjayan Tripathi and independent Rajeev Yadav walked out, accusing officials of rigging the count. Tripathi claimed he was leading by 450 votes after three rounds, then watching the trend reverse abruptly. That kind of swing doesn’t happen by accident, at least not in their eyes.
The BJP held its ground elsewhere, retaining Meerut Graduates’, Meerut Teachers’, and Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’. Dinesh Kumar Goyal and Shrichand Sharma won the Meerut seats, while Dr Hari Singh Dhillon took Bareilly-Moradabad. The party is still leading in four other constituencies, including Lucknow Teachers’ and Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’, but the SP remains ahead in Agra Teachers’.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav is pushing back harder, citing delays and a lack of transparency. He’s not alone in pointing fingers; the controversy in Gorakhpur has given opposition leaders a fresh platform to question the integrity of the entire process. Election officials insist ballots were verified in the presence of candidates, a defense that seems to be falling flat with the losing parties.
This isn’t just about 11 seats. With 152 candidates and 14.8 lakh voters participating in the single transferable vote system, every ballot matters. The BJP-led NDA holds a commanding majority in the 100-member council, but these biennial polls are a dress rehearsal for the 2027 Assembly elections. Any cracks in the armor now will be scrutinized under a microscope next year.
The final tally depends on the remaining contested seats, especially those mired in legal challenges and recount demands. If the irregularity allegations gain traction, the political fallout could extend far beyond the Legislative Council, reshaping the balance of power in Uttar Pradesh well before the next general election.