UP MLC election results: BJP sweeps both Meerut teacher and graduate seats
New Delhi: Vote counting is underway for 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats, with 152 candidates in the fray across five graduates’ and six teachers’ constituencies. The main contest is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) with independent candidates and party rebels also in the race.
Polling was held on October 23 while repolling took place at three polling stations in the Agra teachers’ constituency on Monday following allegations of booth capturing. The counting process began at 8 am on Tuesday.
The elections covered 14,81,310 registered voters with 2,697 polling stations set up across 72 districts. Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat and Unnao were excluded from the electoral exercise. The results are being closely watched ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
BJP, SP face key test ahead of 2027 assembly elections
The elections to the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats come ahead of the expiry of the sitting members’ terms on December 6, 2026. The outgoing members include six from the BJP, three from the SP and two independents, reflecting the seat distribution that emerged from the 2020 elections.
The BJP is looking to defend its existing seats while attempting to win constituencies currently held by the SP and independent candidates. For the SP, the elections offer an opportunity to retain its presence in the teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls.
The results are also significant for the SP’s position in the 100-member Legislative Council. The party currently has 10 MLCs, meeting the required strength for the Leader of the Opposition post. Three incumbent members, Ashutosh Sinha, Dr Man Singh Yadav and Lal Bihari Yadav, are contesting again on SP tickets.
One of the key contests is in the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teachers’ constituency where BJP rebel Sanjayan Tripathi, now contesting on an SP ticket is up against the BJP’s Dhruv Tripathi. The contest will test whether the SP can benefit from discontent within the ruling party over candidate selection.
The 11 seats span five graduates’ constituencies in Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi along with six teachers’ constituencies covering Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
Repoll held at three Agra polling stations
Repolling was conducted peacefully at three polling stations in the Agra teachers’ constituency on Monday following allegations of booth capturing during the October 23 polling.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the three polling stations recorded a combined voter turnout of 57.16 per cent. Polling station number 20 at the Tehsil Campus in Khairagarh recorded 51.60 per cent turnout, while station number 21 at the Kshetra Panchayat Office in Saiyan recorded 58.23 per cent. Station number 26 at the Kshetra Panchayat Office in Fatehabad recorded 58.65 per cent turnout.
The repoll was ordered after the returning officer recommended fresh voting at the three polling stations. Votes cast at these locations on October 23 were declared void under Section 58A(2)(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Unlike Assembly elections, MLC polls in graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies are restricted to registered graduates and teachers in the respective constituencies. Voters cast their ballots using the single transferable vote system of proportional representation, ranking candidates in order of preference, starting with ‘1’ for their first choice.
With the BJP-led alliance already holding a majority in the Legislative Council, the results will determine the distribution of the 11 seats and indicate whether the SP can maintain its representation in the Upper House ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.