Maharashtra MLC polls: BJP wins Pune Teachers', NCP(SP) takes Marathwada seat
Synopsis
Maharashtra's MLC vote count is delivering a split verdict — BJP secures the prestige Pune Teachers' seat under Devendra Fadnavis's campaign stewardship, while NCP(SP) flips a three-term Mahayuti stronghold in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with a cross-party defection as the deciding edge. Three seats are still in play.
Key Takeaways
BJP nominee Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune Teachers' Constituency , defeating sitting Congress MLC Jayant Asgaonkar .
NCP(SP) 's Dr Pratapsingh Patil won the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' Constituency , ousting three-term incumbent Satish Chavan of Mahayuti.
Shiv Sena legislator Abdul Sattar defied party line and backed the NCP(SP) winner, reportedly influencing the outcome.
Three seats — Nagpur Graduates' , Pune Graduates' , and Amravati Teachers' — remain undecided as preference-vote counting continues.
BJP holds a lead in Nagpur Graduates' ; Pune Graduates' is too close to call between BJP and NCP(SP).
Vote counting for the five Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies continued on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, with two seats officially declared — one each for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP(SP)]. The results so far reflect a split verdict between the rival Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalitions, even as counting continues for the remaining three constituencies.
BJP Wins Pune Teachers' Constituency
In the Pune Teachers' Constituency, BJP nominee Kaustubh Gawade defeated sitting Congress legislator Jayant Asgaonkar and Independent candidate Sachin Sanap, who was backed by Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. The win is being seen as a significant morale boost for the Mahayuti coalition.
The BJP had treated the Pune Teachers' seat as a matter of political prestige, running its campaign under the direct guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Senior ministers, including Chandrakant Patil, led ground-level outreach alongside several sitting legislators.
NCP(SP) Secures Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' Seat
In the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Marathwada) Graduates' Constituency, NCP(SP) nominee Dr Pratapsingh Patil defeated Satish Chavan of the NCP/Mahayuti, who was a three-term incumbent from the same seat. Independent candidate Raviraj Sable and Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Dilip Ghuge also lost.
Dr Pratapsingh Patil held a strong lead throughout the preference-vote counting rounds. Notably, Shiv Sena legislator and former minister Abdul Sattar defied his party line and supported the NCP(SP) candidate — a defection that analysts say contributed to the margin. Disgruntled leaders from both Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) also backed Patil.
NCP(SP)'s top brass, including working president and MP Supriya Sule, former minister Jayant Patil, and state chief Shashikant Shinde, had held multiple rallies alongside Congress leaders in the run-up to the polls.
Three Seats Still Being Counted
Counting was still underway for the Nagpur Graduates', Pune Graduates', and Amravati Teachers' seats, with results delayed by the multi-round preferential voting system and quota calculations.
In the Nagpur Graduates' seat, BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale holds a steady lead over Congress incumbent Abhijeet Wanjari, with second-preference distribution expected to finalise the outcome. In the Pune Graduates' seat, a tight contest is underway between Smita Jadhav (BJP) and Harshada Jadhav (NCP-SP), with preference counting ongoing.
The Amravati Teachers' constituency remains a multi-cornered fight among Kiran Sarnaik (Shiv Sena), Aditi Pohare (Congress), Sangita Shinde (BJP rebel), and Dattatray Lahane (Shiv Sena UBT), with officials still processing preference tallies.
What to Watch
Final declarations for the Nagpur Graduates', Pune Graduates', and Amravati Teachers' seats are expected once second-preference elimination rounds reach the required victory quotas. The overall outcome will indicate the relative strength of Mahayuti versus MVA ahead of upcoming state political contests.
Point of View
Which limits any clean narrative of momentum. The Abdul Sattar defection is the most consequential subplot — if cross-coalition support becomes a pattern in preference voting, party whips lose their grip precisely on seats where margins are thin. The Pune Teachers' win matters symbolically for Fadnavis, who personally oversaw the campaign, but three seats still undeclared means the day's final verdict could complicate either coalition's bragging rights.
NationPress
28 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Pune Teachers' Constituency in the Maharashtra MLC polls?
BJP nominee Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune Teachers' Constituency, defeating Congress's sitting legislator Jayant Asgaonkar and Independent candidate Sachin Sanap. The seat was run as a prestige contest under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's direct guidance.
Who won the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' Constituency?
NCP(SP) nominee Dr Pratapsingh Patil won the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Marathwada) Graduates' seat, defeating three-term incumbent Satish Chavan of the NCP/Mahayuti. Shiv Sena legislator Abdul Sattar reportedly crossed party lines to support Patil.
Which Maharashtra MLC seats are still undecided?
Three seats — Nagpur Graduates', Pune Graduates', and Amravati Teachers' — are still being counted as of 28 October 2026. Results are delayed by the multi-round preferential voting and quota calculation process.
What is the preferential voting system used in Maharashtra MLC elections?
Maharashtra MLC elections use a single transferable vote (preferential) system, where voters rank candidates in order of preference. Counting involves multiple elimination rounds until a candidate crosses the required victory quota, which is why results take longer than first-past-the-post elections.
Why is the Maharashtra MLC result significant for Mahayuti and MVA?
The MLC results are an early indicator of coalition strength in Maharashtra ahead of future state contests. A split verdict, as emerging on 28 October, suggests neither Mahayuti nor MVA holds a clear organisational edge on the ground at present.
