The biennial Legislative Council elections were held on 23 October in 28 constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Voting was restricted to college‑graduated and teacher‑eligible voters, who used paper ballots instead of EVMs.
In Karnataka, Congress failed to secure any of the four seats; the JD(S) captured the Bengaluru Teachers' seat, while the BJP held North‑East Teachers', South‑East Graduates' and West Graduates'. B Y Vijayendra, Karnataka BJP chief, hailed the win as a rejection of the ruling party ahead of the 2028 assembly polls.
Uttar Pradesh saw the BJP capture six seats, including the Agra Graduates' and Lucknow Teachers' seats, but the party lost the Varanasi Teachers' seat to the Samajwadi Party, where Akhilesh Yadav’s affiliate Akash Agrawal was elected. The loss came amid protests from local teachers who alleged harassment during the campaign.
In Bihar, the Jan Suraaj Party’s Suresh Prasad Rai edged out Congress veteran Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in Darbhanga, while the BJP retained the Tirhut Teachers' seat. Maharashtra’s contests saw the BJP lead in Nagpur Graduates’ by 4,265 votes and Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sarnaik win Amravati Teachers' with 10,672 votes, but the NCP (SP) remained strong in other seats.
The results do not threaten the stability of the Congress‑ruled Karnataka government, but they signal a consolidation of opposition forces that could shape the 2028 state elections. Final tallies from the remaining constituencies will be announced by end of Wednesday, with all parties preparing for the next legislative round.