Voting for Legislative Council elections got underway at 8 am on Friday, 23 October across multiple states, with Ghaziabad among the districts seeing voters arrive at polling stations amid security arrangements. Polling is being conducted across 28 Legislative Council seats spanning Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Maharashtra — and the use of ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) has already sharpened the political rhetoric on both sides.

Key Developments on Polling Day

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nandkishor Gurjar, present at a booth in Ghaziabad, framed the ballot-paper exercise as a direct test of the opposition's long-standing EVM grievances. He argued that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, and allied leaders raised doubts about electronic machines only when the BJP won, staying silent on similar devices when their own parties prevailed elsewhere.

'This election is very important,' Gurjar said, adding that BJP workers had put in sustained grassroots effort ahead of polling day. He further contended that allegations of EVM manipulation and vote theft amounted to an insult to ordinary voters who elect their representatives through the democratic process.

What the BJP Is Claiming

Gurjar said the ballot-based election would offer the BJP a platform to demonstrate its ground-level support independent of any EVM controversy. He expressed confidence in the party's leadership at both the state and regional levels, asserting that a BJP win here would compel opponents to revisit their criticism. He described the contest as marking 'a new chapter' in the country's electoral history — a claim that critics are likely to contest depending on the outcome.

Samajwadi Party Strikes Back

In Varanasi, SP MLA Ragini Sonkar made a direct appeal to voters, calling for a decisive mandate in favour of the party's candidates. Sonkar accused the BJP of fostering 'an atmosphere of hooliganism', particularly in the education sector, alleging that the ruling party's policies were harming students and young people. She claimed children were being denied educational opportunities and that youth unemployment had worsened under the current dispensation, urging voters to use the election to register their dissatisfaction.

Seats at Stake Across States

In Uttar Pradesh, polling is being held for five graduate constituencies and six teacher constituencies. Bihar is conducting elections for four graduate and four teacher constituencies. Karnataka and Maharashtra account for the remaining seats. These elections, which involve a more limited and specialised electorate compared to general assembly polls, have historically attracted significant political attention as they shape the composition of upper houses at the state level.

Why This Election Matters

Legislative Council elections — fought through ballot papers rather than EVMs for these categories — have become a rare flashpoint in India's ongoing EVM debate. The outcome in states like Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP and SP are locked in sustained rivalry, will be read as a barometer of ground-level influence. This comes amid a broader national conversation about electoral integrity, with opposition parties having repeatedly called for a return to paper ballots. The results will be closely watched not just for seat tallies but for what they signal about party machinery ahead of future state and general elections.