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Modi targets Congress as MLC election results emerge (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress on Wednesday over its performance in Legislative Council elections across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar and Maharashtra, asking how many seats the party had won in polls conducted using ballot papers.
In a post on X, Modi referred to elections across 28 seats in the four states and questioned the Congress’s electoral performance. The results indicated a strong showing by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), particularly in Karnataka, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) won seats in Uttar Pradesh.
“MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states,-Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?" PM Modi wrote.
MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka.
Elections held using ballot papers.
Guess how many seats Congress won? 🧐
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2026
The BJP-JD(S) alliance won all four Legislative Council seats in Karnataka, leaving the ruling Congress without a victory in these contests.
JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency. In the North-East Teachers’ constituency, NDA candidate Shashil G Namoshi defeated Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur.
The BJP retained the South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, completing the alliance’s sweep. The results marked a setback for the Congress, which is in power in the state.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had won five of the 11 Legislative Council seats by the latest update, while the SP had secured three. Counting for the remaining constituencies was continuing.
The BJP retained the Bareilly-Moradabad, Meerut Teachers’, Meerut Graduates’ and Lucknow Teachers’ constituencies. Its tally rose to five confirmed victories as further results were declared.
The SP won the Varanasi Teachers’ and Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ seats. In Varanasi, SP candidate Lal Bihari Yadav secured 10,958 votes, defeating BJP candidate Pramod Kumar Mishra, who polled 6,060 votes.
Bihar witnessed a mixed electoral picture, with the BJP and its allies making gains and Jan Suraaj entering the Legislative Council for the first time.
The BJP won the Tirhut Teachers’ constituency, where Narendra Prasad Singh defeated Independent candidate Bhushan Kumar Jha. In Patna Graduates’, JD(U) candidate Neeraj Kumar defeated the RJD nominee, although the official result was still awaited.
Jan Suraaj candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in Darbhanga Teachers’, securing the party’s first Council seat.
The RJD won Patna Teachers’, defeating five-term BJP MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav. In Saran Teachers’, Rahul Raj, an Independent candidate and BJP rebel, defeated sitting MLC Afaq Ahmed.
Five Legislative Council seats were contested in Maharashtra by the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. A total of 182 candidates were in the fray, but constituency-wise winners were not available in the latest update.
The results reported so far point to a setback for the Congress, particularly in Karnataka, and gains for the BJP-led NDA. The SP has registered victories in Uttar Pradesh, while Jan Suraaj has opened its account in Bihar’s Legislative Council. Results in some constituencies were still awaited.
