MLC Election Results 2026 Live Updates: Counting for 28 seats underway in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka

Security personnel stand guard outside a strongroom ahead of vote counting for the MLC election, in Patna on Monday. (ANI Photo)

Counting of votes for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka began on Tuesday, with security tightened at counting centres. In Uttar Pradesh, counting is underway for five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies, while Maharashtra is witnessing contests for five seats, Karnataka for four and Bihar for eight.

Voting for Members of Legislative Councils (MLCs) is restricted to designated electorates, including registered graduates, teachers and local authority representatives. Elections to 28 seats across the Legislative Councils of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka were held on October 23, with results scheduled to be declared on Tuesday.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Awanish Kumar Singh expressed confidence in his party’s victory in the Lucknow Graduates’ constituency, while Samajwadi Party candidate Sushil Kumar urged officials to ensure impartiality during counting. In Bihar, Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Singh raised concerns over the alleged absence of CCTV cameras and poor conditions at the Patna Graduates’ constituency counting centre, saying he had approached the returning officer over the issue.

Counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh began at 8 am on Tuesday amid tight security, with the contests being seen as a prestige battle between the ruling BJP and the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The counting is taking place across seven districts: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly and Gorakhpur.

In Uttar Pradesh, the elections covered five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies and recorded a voter turnout of 55.24 per cent. Polling was marked by allegations of malpractice, voter intimidation and misuse of government machinery, with the SP accusing the BJP of irregularities while BJP leaders alleged that the SP had fielded ineligible candidates.

In Bihar, elections to eight Legislative Council seats have emerged as a test for the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with a divided Opposition and the entry of Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party adding a new dimension to the contests. The results are also being viewed as a political barometer of support among graduates, teachers and professionals ahead of future electoral battles.