Voting begins for 28 Legislative Council seats across UP, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Synopsis
Voting is underway for 28 Legislative Council seats across four states on 23 October, with the UP contest carrying the most political weight as a preview of the 2027 Assembly elections. In Bihar, intra-opposition friction between Congress and the RJD in the same seats adds an unexpected subplot — and a hospitalised JD(U) leader casting his vote from Mokama makes it one of the day's most watched races.
Key Takeaways
Polling for 28 Legislative Council seats across UP, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra began on 23 October 2026 ; counting is on 27 October .
Uttar Pradesh is voting on 11 seats (five graduate, six teacher) across 72 districts , viewed as a political test before the 2027 Assembly elections .
Bihar has 8 seats in play, with 150 candidates and roughly 5.32 lakh eligible voters; Congress and RJD are contesting against each other despite being alliance partners.
Maharashtra is holding polls for 5 seats across Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati, with 182 candidates contesting.
Neeraj Kumar of JD(U) , who recently suffered a cardiac episode, left hospital to vote in Mokama on Friday.
Polling commenced on Friday, 23 October for 28 Legislative Council seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, with political parties closely tracking results for their implications on state-level power dynamics.
Uttar Pradesh: 11 Seats, 72 Districts
In Uttar Pradesh, voting is underway for 11 seats — five graduate and six teacher constituencies — conducted across 72 districts, excluding Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, and Unnao. Polling opened at 8 am and will close at 4 pm.
The five graduate constituencies are Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi, Lucknow, and Varanasi. The six teacher seats are Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Lucknow, Kashi, and Gorakhpur-Faizabad. Geographically, five seats lie in western UP, two in the Lucknow region, one in Bundelkhand, and three in Purvanchal.
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on the horizon, these MLC polls are being viewed as an early political litmus test for all major parties in the state. Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav expressed confidence in his party's showing, stating, 'Aligarh has the highest number. So, both our candidates will win, the teacher constituency candidate, Akash Agarwal, and the candidate for the Graduates' Constituency seat.'
Bihar: 8 Seats, 150 Candidates
In Bihar, elections are being held for eight Legislative Council seats — four graduate and four teacher constituencies — with 150 candidates in the running. Approximately 5.32 lakh voters are eligible to participate, and polling hours mirror Uttar Pradesh: 8 am to 4 pm.
The Patna Graduates' constituency has emerged as a key contest, with senior Janata Dal (United) leader Neeraj Kumar facing Anant Singh, an MLA from Mokama, who has backed Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Singh. Notably, Kumar suffered a cardiac episode days before polling and was hospitalised; he was discharged in time to travel to Mokama to cast his vote on Friday, reportedly flashing a victory sign as he left home.
The elections also spotlight tensions within the opposition, with Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) — both members of the same alliance — contesting against each other in several constituencies. Analysts caution, however, that graduate and teacher constituency electorates are narrow and specialised, and results should not be read as a direct reflection of Bihar's broader voter sentiment.
Maharashtra: 5 Seats, 182 Candidates
In Maharashtra, polling is underway for five seats — three graduate and two teacher constituencies — with 182 candidates on the ballot. The graduate seats at stake are Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur, while the teacher constituencies are Pune and Amravati.
Counting and What Comes Next
Across all states, votes are being cast using ballot papers, with counting scheduled for 27 October. The results will be closely parsed by parties as they recalibrate legislative strategies ahead of upcoming state electoral cycles. For UP in particular, the MLC outcomes could signal momentum shifts well before the 2027 Assembly contest.
Point of View
But the UP contest is being read as an early proxy for 2027 — and that framing inflates their significance. The more telling signal in Bihar is the Congress-RJD friction within the INDIA bloc: when alliance partners compete against each other even in niche constituency elections, it raises legitimate questions about coordination when general elections arrive. The narrow, educated electorate of graduate and teacher seats also means parties should resist over-interpreting any outcome as a popular mandate.
NationPress
24 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many seats are up for election on 23 October 2026?
A total of 28 Legislative Council seats are being contested across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra on 23 October 2026. Counting for all seats is scheduled for 27 October.
How many seats is Uttar Pradesh voting for, and which constituencies?
Uttar Pradesh is voting for 11 seats — five graduate constituencies (Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi, Lucknow, Varanasi) and six teacher constituencies (Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Lucknow, Kashi, Gorakhpur-Faizabad). Polling covers 72 of the state's districts.
Why are the Bihar MLC elections politically significant?
The Bihar polls are among the first major electoral tests for the ruling government and feature an unusual situation where Congress and the RJD — both part of the opposition alliance — are contesting against each other in several constituencies. The Patna Graduates' seat is the most closely watched race.
Which seats are being contested in Maharashtra?
Maharashtra is polling for five seats — three graduate constituencies (Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur) and two teacher constituencies (Pune, Amravati) — with 182 candidates in the fray.
When will votes be counted and results declared?
Counting across all four states is scheduled for 27 October 2026. Votes are being cast using ballot papers in all constituencies.
