India
28 MLC Seats, 0 Wins: Congress Draws A Blank In 4 States, Karnataka Delivers Biggest Blow
By: News18 India
Published: 28 October 2026
Photo / Illustration: Haldwani Times News Desk
<p>The Indian National Congress failed to win a single seat in the biennial Legislative Council (MLC) elections across four states — Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra — drawing a complete blank across all 28 seats contested.</p>
<p>The outcome marks a significant political jolt for the party, particularly in Karnataka where it currently holds power.</p>
<p>In Karnataka, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] secured a decisive 4-0 clean sweep:</p>
<p>Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency: In the sharpest blow to the ruling party, JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by a margin of 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902.</p>
<p>North-East Teachers’ Constituency: Incumbent BJP MLC Shashil G Namoshi defeated Congress’s Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. This marked Namoshi’s fifth victory in a segment covering Kalaburagi, the home turf of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge.</p>
<p>South-East Graduates’ Constituency: BJP candidate K M Suresh won decisively over Congress nominee Shashi Hulikunte Mutt with a broad margin of 23,098 votes.</p>
<p>In Karnataka, the NDA alliance secured a 4-0 clean sweep against the ruling Congress party.</p>
<p>Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party won its debut seat in Bihar's Darbhanga Teachers' constituency by defeating the sitting Congress MLC.</p>
<p>The BJP and its allies secured 6 or more seats in Uttar Pradesh and won all 5 seats in Maharashtra.</p>
<p>West Graduates’ Constituency: Sitting BJP MLC S V Sankanur retained his seat, defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai by 9,323 votes.</p>
<p>The loss is particularly notable because these constituencies represent educated professionals and teachers, raising questions about the ruling state government’s influence among organized professional voter groups.</p>
<p>The voting was conducted using paper ballots rather than Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), prompting immediate political retorts from the opposition BJP regarding the party’s historic stance on voting systems. The outcome marks a strategic boost for the BJP-JD(S) alliance ahead of assembly cycles, demonstrating tight coordination between the coalition partners against the ruling Congress administration.</p>
<p>The Legislative Council elections in Bihar brought mixed results for the major coalitions, but the headline story was the spectacular debut of a new political entrant:</p>
<p>In a major political development, Prashant Kishor’s newly formed Jan Suraaj Party opened its account. Candidate Dr. Suresh Prasad Rai won the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, defeating sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes.</p>
<p>The BJP won the Tirhut Teachers’ seat with Narendra Prasad Singh defeating independent candidate Bhushan Kumar Jha.</p>
<p>In a massive blow to the BJP, the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) wrested the</p>
<p>Patna Teachers’ seat, RJD’s Dr. Sanjeev Singh unseated sitting BJP MLC Nawal Kishor Yadav, who had held the seat for nearly three decades.</p>
<p>Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) performed strongly in the Graduates’ seats, with Neeraj Kumar leading the pack in Patna.</p>
<p>Rebel BJP candidate Rahul Raj, who contested as an independent after being denied an NDA ticket, won the Saran Teachers’ constituency.</p>
<p>In Uttar Pradesh, the election became a direct battleground between the ruling BJP and the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP), completely squeezing out Congress.</p>
<p>The BJP secured key institutional strongholds, winning the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’ seat, the Lucknow Teachers’ constituency, and both the Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies in Meerut.</p>
<p>The SP successfully challenged the ruling dispensation in religious and cultural hubs, winning the Varanasi Teachers’ constituency and the Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ constituency.</p>
<p>The elections in Maharashtra were highly anticipated as a prestige battle between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).</p>
<p>In the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency—traditionally a high-stakes seat—sitting Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjari trailed behind BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale. Kohale established a steady lead as preferential vote counting progressed.</p>
<p>In Amravati Teachers’ Segment, the ruling alliance maintained its momentum here as well, with Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Sarnaik holding a distinct lead over his rivals.</p>
<p>The Indian National Congress failed to secure a single victory, drawing a complete blank across all 28 contested MLC seats in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Maharashtra.</p>
<p>The NDA alliance comprising the BJP and JD(S) secured a 4-0 clean sweep in Karnataka. JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna in the Bengaluru Teachers' Constituency, while BJP candidates won the North-East Teachers', South-East Graduates', and West Graduates' constituencies.</p>
<p>Prashant Kishor's newly formed Jan Suraaj Party made a spectacular debut in Bihar by winning the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency, where candidate Dr. Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha.</p>
