Last Updated on October 30, 2026 1:20 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
By Our Correspondent / NEW DELHI
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered setbacks in several politically significant constituencies in the latest Legislative Council elections, losing the Varanasi teachers’ seat in Uttar Pradesh, the Patna teachers’ constituency in Bihar and the Nagpur graduates’ constituency in Maharashtra. The defeats came from constituencies associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Nitin Nabin and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, respectively.
The results, covering 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra, offered a mixed picture for the BJP. In Uttar Pradesh, the party won six of the 11 seats, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) secured four and was leading in the remaining constituency, according to the figures available in the supplied report. One final result was still awaited.
The losses in Varanasi, Patna and Nagpur were politically notable because of the constituencies’ associations with senior BJP leaders. However, the elections were held in teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies, whose restricted electorates differ from those in general elections.
Yogi Adityanath’s Gorakhpur Constituency Sees Close BJP Win
Among the constituencies associated with prominent BJP leaders, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh emerged as a closely contested seat that the party managed to retain.
BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi defeated independent candidate Rajiv Yadav by 307 votes after a fluctuating count. Tripathi secured 14,887 votes against Yadav’s 14,580.
The narrow margin contrasted with the party’s setbacks elsewhere and underscored the competitive nature of elections to the Legislative Council’s teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies.
In Varanasi, however, the Samajwadi Party retained the teachers’ seat, with Lal Bihari Yadav registering a second consecutive victory.
SP Retains Varanasi, Defeats BJP Candidate by 5,015 Votes
The Samajwadi Party strengthened its position in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Lal Bihari Yadav winning the teachers’ constituency for a second consecutive term.
Yadav defeated his nearest BJP rival, Dr Pramod Mishra, by 5,015 votes. Yadav received 11,612 votes, while Mishra polled 6,597.
The result was a setback for the BJP in a constituency closely associated with the Prime Minister. It also highlighted the SP’s continued presence in elections involving teachers and other professional groups.
RJD Wins Patna Teachers’ Seat, BJP Loses Long-Held Constituency
In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the Patna teachers’ constituency, which the supplied report describes as a BJP stronghold for nearly three decades.
The defeat was particularly significant because Patna is associated with Nitin Nabin, the BJP’s national president. The outcome deprived the party of a seat it had long considered a stronghold in the state capital.
The result added to the BJP’s setbacks across the four states, although the precise statewide distribution of seats will be clearer once all results are confirmed.
Congress Retains Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency
In Maharashtra, Congress leader Abhijit Govindrao Wanjari won the Nagpur graduates’ constituency for a second consecutive term, defeating the BJP in a seat associated with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Wanjari had also won the constituency in December 2020. A lawyer and educationist by profession, he has been associated with the Congress for several years.
Nagpur is politically important for the BJP as it is the home city of Fadnavis and Gadkari and the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Congress victory therefore carried significance beyond the constituency itself.
SP Makes Gains in Teachers’ and Graduates’ Elections
The Samajwadi Party also made gains compared with the previous Legislative Council elections in Uttar Pradesh. In the 2020 elections, the party had won three seats, according to the supplied report. This time, it added victories in the Agra and Lucknow graduates’ constituencies and was on course to win five seats, subject to confirmation of the final results.
The gains offered encouragement to the SP, which has sought to strengthen its position among professional and educated voters in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP, meanwhile, faced setbacks in several constituencies despite winning six of the state’s 11 seats covered in the report.
Teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies have a distinct electoral profile. Their electorates include registered teachers and graduates, depending on the constituency, rather than the general voting population. Elections in these seats can reflect local concerns and the organisational strength of political parties among professional groups, but their outcomes should not be treated as a direct measure of statewide or national electoral sentiment.
The latest results nevertheless provide political parties with an indication of their support among these specific electorates. For the BJP, the defeats in Varanasi, Patna and Nagpur will draw attention because of the constituencies’ political associations. For the SP and Congress, the victories provide an opportunity to consolidate their presence among teachers and graduates.