Council polls: 28 seats in four states vote, counting Oct 27

NEW DELHI, October 23 (Aalimi Nation) – Voting took place on Friday for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka, in elections that hold political significance for both the ruling and opposition parties. Polling ran from 8 am to 4 pm, and counting is scheduled for October 27.

Only registered graduates and teachers are eligible to vote in these constituencies, and the contests are held on ballot papers rather than electronic voting machines.

Uttar Pradesh

Eleven seats were at stake in Uttar Pradesh, five graduates' and six teachers' constituencies. Officials said there were 152 candidates and 14,81,310 electors across 2,697 polling stations in 72 of the state's 75 districts. The BJP and the Samajwadi Party fielded candidates in all 11 constituencies, and the contest is being seen as a prestige battle between them ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Bihar

Eight seats, four graduates' and four teachers', went to the polls in Bihar. Officials said 150 candidates were in the fray and more than 5.32 lakh voters were registered across 933 polling stations. The BJP fielded candidates on four seats, including three sitting members seeking re-election, while the JD(U) nominated candidates for the remaining four.

The Jan Suraaj Party, led by Prashant Kishor, contested all eight seats, marking its first electoral test across the full set. In the Patna graduates' constituency, a rift within the JD(U) became visible, with Mokama MLA Anant Singh backing the Jan Suraaj candidate rather than the party's own nominee, former minister Neeraj Kumar, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term.

Maharashtra

Five seats were contested in Maharashtra: graduates' constituencies in the Pune division, Nagpur division and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and teachers' constituencies in the Pune division and Amravati. Officials said 182 candidates were in the fray, with 10,68,072 voters registered across 2,419 polling stations.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) are contesting all five seats. Both sides have dealt with rebel candidates. In Nagpur, a BJP rebel withdrew and backed the party's official nominee, although his name stays on the ballot.

Karnataka

Four seats, two graduates' and two teachers', went to vote in Karnataka, with the main contest between the ruling Congress and the BJP–JD(S) alliance. The BJP holds three of the four seats and wants to retain them. The JD(S) is trying to wrest the Bengaluru teachers' seat from the Congress, where the sitting member, Puttanna, faces A P Ranganath.

In the 75-member Legislative Council, the Congress holds 38 seats, the BJP 24 and the JD(S) six, with five government-nominated seats vacant.

What next

Turnout figures had not been released in the accounts reviewed by Aalimi Nation. The terms of the sitting members in Bihar end on November 16, and those in Maharashtra on December 6. Results from all four states are expected after counting on October 27, when parties will read the outcome as an early indicator of their standing among educated and professional voters.