BJP-JD(S) sweep Karnataka as Congress draws a blank (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: The Congress has suffered a major setback in biennial elections to 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka, failing to win a single seat as counting progressed on October 28. The biggest blow came in Karnataka, where the ruling party lost all four seats to the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance, including one previously held by a sitting Congress MLC.
Although these elections involve a limited electorate of registered graduates and teachers, the results have raised questions about the Congress's organisational strength, particularly in Karnataka, where it has been in power since 2023. The outcome also gives the BJP-JD(S) alliance a morale boost ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
Congress contested only 12 of the 28 seats and did not field any candidates in the Uttar Pradesh MLC elections.
The Karnataka results are particularly significant because Congress is the ruling party in the state. Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has played a prominent role in the party's organisation and campaigning, had directed ministers to campaign in the constituencies, underlining the importance attached to the contest.
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The elections were held on October 23, testing the ruling party's ability to mobilise support among graduates and teachers beyond the Assembly electorate.
The most damaging defeat came in the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency, where JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna's 9,902, wresting the seat from Congress.
The BJP retained the other three constituencies. Shashil G Namoshi won the North-East Teachers' seat, SV Sankanur secured the West Graduates' constituency, and KM Suresh won the South-East Graduates' seat.
Namoshi's victory was particularly notable because his constituency includes Kalaburagi, the home region of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
BJP leaders in Karnataka described the outcome as a rejection of "corruption, irregularities and unfulfilled promises". Union Minister and JD(S) chief HD Kumaraswamy hailed the alliance's performance as a mandate for 2028.
The Congress's failure to win a seat extended beyond Karnataka, although the political dynamics differed across the other three states.
In Uttar Pradesh, 11 seats were contested, with the BJP and Samajwadi Party emerging as the principal contenders. The BJP retained seats in Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Lucknow, while the Samajwadi Party won the Varanasi Teachers' and Agra Teachers' constituencies. Counting was continuing in several constituencies when the results were being reported.
Bihar's eight-seat contest produced a mixed outcome. The Rashtriya Janata Dal won the Patna Teachers' constituency, the BJP secured the Tirhut Teachers' seat, and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party won its first Legislative Council seat in Darbhanga. Independent candidate Rahul Raj won the Saran Teachers' constituency.
The Jan Suraaj Party's victory came at the expense of sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha. Counting in the graduates' constituencies was still underway.
In Maharashtra, counting continued across five seats contested by the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Emerging trends favoured the BJP-led Mahayuti.
The Legislative Council elections are not a direct reflection of public opinion across the four states. Graduates' and teachers' constituencies have restricted electorates, and candidate networks, personal outreach and preferential voting can significantly influence outcomes.
However, Congress's inability to secure a single seat across 28 constituencies remains a setback. The Karnataka results are especially concerning because the party lost despite being in government and deploying ministers for campaigning.
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The defeat does not threaten the Congress government's immediate survival, nor does it establish how voters would respond in a general Assembly election. Nevertheless, the BJP-JD(S) alliance can use the sweep to project itself as a credible challenger ahead of the next Karnataka Assembly polls, scheduled for 2028.
For Congress, the results serve as a warning about its organisational reach and ability to convert its position in government into electoral support. While the final tallies in the other states could change as counting concludes, Karnataka has already delivered a significant political setback for the ruling party.
