MLC election results 2026: counting under way for 28 seats in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka

Counting of votes for 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka began at 8 am on Tuesday, 27 October, four days after polling on Friday, 23 October. The seats are all graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, where only registered graduates and teachers vote, using a preferential ballot. No results had been declared at the time of writing, and officials in Bihar have indicated that final outcomes are likely only late in the evening.

Bihar: eight seats, 150 candidates

In Bihar, eight seats are being counted: the Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi graduates’ constituencies, and the Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran teachers’ constituencies. A total of 150 candidates are in the fray, 90 of them for the graduates’ seats. Darbhanga Graduates alone has 40 candidates. The terms of the sitting members end on 16 November.

Provisional figures released after polling put turnout at about 43.87% across the four graduates’ seats, which have roughly 4.92 lakh electors, and about 74.55% across the teachers’ seats, which have 40,253 electors. Some later reports carried higher revised figures, and the final constituency-wise numbers are awaited.

Because the teachers’ electorates are much smaller, their results are expected first. Counting is taking place at divisional centres, including Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School at Bankipur in Patna, the Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology campus for Tirhut, the Bihar School Examination Board regional office in Purnia for Kosi, and a school in Chhapra for Saran. Mobile phones have been barred inside, and entry is limited to pass holders.

Patna Graduates the most watched contest

The Patna Graduates’ seat has drawn the most attention. Sitting JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar, who is seeking a fourth term, faces Dr Anuj Singh of Jan Suraaj, RJD candidate Dilip Kumar and Congress candidate Asad Ullah Khan among 18 contestants. Mokama MLA Anant Singh openly backed the Jan Suraaj nominee against his own party’s candidate, and the JD(U) expelled him for six years on 24 October.

On Tuesday morning Anuj Singh told reporters he expected to win comfortably, while complaining to the returning officer about the absence of CCTV cameras and poor conditions in the counting agents’ area. Neeraj Kumar also expressed confidence. The RJD has separately written to the Chief Electoral Officer raising concerns about the transparency of counting, according to a local report.

The teachers’ seats feature, among others, BJP’s Prof Nawal Kishore Yadav in Patna, BJP’s Narendra Prasad Singh in Tirhut and JD(U)’s Anand Pushkar in Saran, with the RJD, Congress, Left parties and Jan Suraaj also in contention.

UP, Maharashtra and Karnataka

Uttar Pradesh has the largest share, with 11 seats: the Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi graduates’ seats, and the Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad teachers’ seats. The contest is largely between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. In Lucknow, counting is being held at the Ramabai rally ground. The BJP already holds 79 of the 99 seats in the UP Legislative Council, so the outcome will not change the balance, but both parties see it as a signal ahead of next year’s Assembly election. Ahead of counting, the Election Commission suspended six officials in Agra over alleged booth capturing and malpractice during polling.

In Maharashtra, 182 candidates contested five seats: the Pune, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduates’ seats and the Pune and Amravati teachers’ seats. The ruling Mahayuti has said it expects to sweep them, while the opposition MVA is hoping for a recovery. Karnataka is counting four seats, three of them held by the BJP-JD(S) alliance going in, with the Congress defending the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat.

What happens next

Under the preferential system, first-preference votes are counted first. If no candidate reaches the required quota, the lowest-placed candidates are eliminated and their ballots transferred by next preference until someone crosses it. In crowded fields such as Darbhanga Graduates, that process can run late into the night. The Daily Rostrum will update this story as results are officially declared.

Sources

• India TV: Bihar MLC Election Results 2026 LIVE: High-stakes outcome to test Anant Singh’s regional clout
• India TV: MLC Election Results LIVE Updates: Crucial test for BJP-led NDA in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra
• Deccan Chronicle: MLC Polls: Counting Begins for 28 Seats Across Four States
• Social News XYZ (IANS): Bihar MLC vote counting underway for eight seats; results expected late evening
• Patna Press: Bihar MLC Election Results 2026 Today: Counting Begins at 8 AM for 8 Seats, 150 Candidates in Fray
• India.com: Bihar MLC election results 2026 winners list: Counting underway for 8 seats
• First Bihar: Bihar MLC Election Result 2026 live: Neeraj Kumar, Anuj Singh
• Aaj Tak: MLC Election Results 2026 Live updates