The Congress has suffered a major setback in the latest Legislative Council elections, failing to win any of the 12 seats it contested across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The results have sparked fresh political arguments over electronic voting machines (EVMs), paper ballots and the opposition party’s concerns about the fairness of India’s electoral process.
Voting for 28 Legislative Council seats took place on 23 October, with ballot papers used in these contests. Counting continued for nearly two days in some constituencies before the results revealed a strong performance by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), particularly in Karnataka.
By 29 October, reported results showed the NDA winning 16 of the 28 seats. The BJP secured 13, while its allies also made gains. The Samajwadi Party won seats in Uttar Pradesh, and Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj Party secured its first representation in the Bihar Legislative Council.
For Congress, the defeat is about more than the loss of individual seats. The party has repeatedly raised concerns about EVMs and called for a return to paper ballots. Its failure to win any of the seats it contested has given the BJP an opportunity to question that position.
However, the results need to be viewed in context. Elections to graduate and teachers’ constituencies involve a different electorate from general Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. Their outcomes are shaped by local political dynamics, candidate selection, turnout and campaign organisation. They cannot, on their own, settle the wider debate over voting technology.
CONGRESS DRAWS A BLANK AS NDA MAKES GAINS
Congress contested 12 seats across the four states, including constituencies it had previously held, but failed to turn its campaigns into victories.
The setback was particularly striking in Karnataka, where Congress is in power. The BJP and its ally, the Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), won all four Legislative Council seats contested in the state. The BJP retained three constituencies, while the JD(S) took the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from Congress.
Bihar also delivered a disappointing result for Congress. Jan Suraaj candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated former Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, giving Prashant Kishor’s party its first seat in the state’s upper house.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Samajwadi Party both secured victories, while Maharashtra produced a more mixed result among the competing political alliances.
Taken together, the results expose Congress’s difficulties in converting its political presence into victories in these constituencies. Still, they do not necessarily point to a wider shift in voter sentiment across the country. Graduate and teachers’ elections have a more limited electorate, making local campaigning and constituency-level organisation especially important.
BALLOT-PAPER RESULTS PUT CONGRESS’S EVM ARGUMENT UNDER PRESSURE
The method of voting has become a major talking point following the results.
Congress has called for electoral reforms and raised concerns about the use of electronic voting machines. Its demand for a return to paper ballots has formed part of its broader argument that more needs to be done to ensure public confidence in the electoral process.
Because ballot papers were used in these MLC elections, the BJP now has an opportunity to challenge Congress’s position. BJP leaders have pointed to the opposition party’s poor performance, arguing that the results raise questions about its explanations for electoral defeats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a swipe at Congress on 28 October, highlighting the ballot-paper elections and questioning how many seats the party had managed to win.
The political argument is straightforward: Congress failed to win any of the seats it contested in elections that did not use EVMs. That makes it harder for the party to attribute its electoral difficulties solely to the use of electronic voting machines.
But there is an important distinction between political criticism and evidence. These results neither prove nor disprove allegations of EVM manipulation in other elections. Any such claims must be assessed on the evidence relating to the specific election in question, rather than on the performance of a party in a separate contest.
KARNATAKA DEFEAT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT CONGRESS’S ORGANISATION
Karnataka was among the most damaging setbacks for Congress. Despite governing the state, the party failed to win any of the four Legislative Council seats contested.
The BJP retained the North East Teachers, West Graduates and South East Graduates constituencies. The JD(S) captured the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat, defeating sitting Congress MLC Puttanna.
JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902, winning by a margin of 908 votes. The result came despite campaigning by senior Congress leaders and ministers.
The outcome has raised questions about candidate selection, campaign coordination and the party’s ability to mobilise support among graduates and teachers. Congress leaders have acknowledged the setback, and the results could prompt a closer review of the party’s strategy in these constituencies.
The defeat does not, however, change Congress’s overall majority in the 75-member Karnataka Legislative Council. According to reporting by The Indian Express, the party retains 38 members.
Even so, the BJP-JD(S) sweep gives the opposition alliance a political boost and is likely to increase pressure on the Congress leadership to explain what went wrong.
JAN SURAJ’S VICTORY ADDS TO CONGRESS’S CHALLENGES IN BIHAR
Congress faced another disappointment in Bihar, where Jan Suraaj made its entry into the Legislative Council.
Jan Suraaj candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated former Bihar Congress president Madan Mohan Jha in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency by 324 votes, according to reports published after the results.
The victory is an important milestone for Prashant Kishor’s party, which has been trying to establish itself as an alternative to Bihar’s established political players. The result also ended the Communist Party of India’s sole representation in the state’s Legislative Council.
The broader results in Bihar were mixed. The NDA won four of the eight seats, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Jan Suraaj secured one each. Independent candidates won the remaining two.
For Congress, the loss highlights the challenge of maintaining its influence in a state where established parties and newer political formations are competing for support. However, the outcome in a single teachers’ constituency should not be taken as a definitive indication of the party’s prospects in a future Assembly election.
FOUR-STATE RESULTS SHOW DIFFERENT POLITICAL TRENDS
The results were not uniform across the four states, with local political dynamics playing a significant role.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP won six of the nine seats declared by Wednesday evening, while the Samajwadi Party secured three. Reports published on 29 October indicated that counting in two other constituencies was still pending.
Maharashtra produced a more closely divided outcome. Among the five reported seats, the BJP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) won two each, while the Shiv Sena secured one.
These differences underline why the results should be assessed constituency by constituency. Candidate strength, local alliances, turnout and the composition of the electorate all influence MLC elections.
Congress’s overall performance was poor, but the BJP-led alliance did not win every seat. Opposition parties retained representation in several constituencies, and the results reflect a mix of local political contests rather than a single statewide or nationwide verdict.
RISKS AND KEY ISSUES TO WATCH
1. Congress’s position on electoral reform
The results have given the BJP fresh grounds to challenge Congress’s demand for a return to paper ballots. Congress will need to explain its concerns clearly and distinguish its wider demands for electoral transparency from the outcome of individual contests.
2. Organisational weaknesses
The Karnataka defeat could prompt an internal review of candidate selection, campaign planning and local mobilisation. The party will need to determine whether organisational shortcomings contributed to its losses.
3. BJP’s political messaging
The BJP is likely to continue using the results to challenge Congress’s criticism of EVMs. The issue could become more prominent as political parties prepare for upcoming elections.
4. Local alliances and candidate performance
The results highlight the importance of constituency-level strategy, particularly in graduate and teachers’ seats. Parties may reconsider their candidate choices and campaign methods ahead of future MLC elections.
5. Public confidence in elections
Disagreements over voting systems can affect public confidence in the electoral process. Transparent procedures, credible explanations and evidence-based responses to specific allegations remain important.
6. Implications for the 2027 elections
The results may influence political calculations ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2027. However, MLC contests involving specialised electorates are not a reliable standalone forecast of Assembly election outcomes.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Congress’s response: Whether the party conducts an internal review and announces changes to its campaign strategy.
Karnataka politics: Whether the BJP-JD(S) alliance uses its victory to step up pressure on the Congress government.
Remaining MLC results: Whether the pending Uttar Pradesh constituency results change the overall picture.
The ballot-paper debate: Whether Congress reinforces or revises its demands for electoral reform.
Election-related complaints: Whether political parties submit specific complaints or seek further clarification about the conduct of the polls.
Preparations for 2027: How the results shape party organisation, candidate selection and campaigning ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
FACT CHECK METER
95% — Confidence in core reporting
STATUS: CONGRESS SUFFERS A MAJOR SETBACK AS BALLOT-PAPER RESULTS FUEL A FRESH POLITICAL DEBATE
Confirmed details
Legislative Council elections covering 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka were held on 23 October 2026.
Ballot papers were used in these elections.
Congress contested 12 seats and failed to win any of them.
Reports available on 29 October indicated that the BJP-led NDA had won 16 of the 28 seats.
The BJP-JD(S) alliance won all four seats contested in Karnataka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly criticised Congress’s performance in the ballot-paper elections.
Important distinctions
Graduate and teachers’ constituency elections involve a different electorate from general Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Congress’s defeat does not, by itself, prove or disprove allegations of EVM manipulation in other elections.
Political allegations about electoral processes should be distinguished from independently established evidence of wrongdoing.
Some constituency results were still being reported as pending on 29 October.
AWX VERDICT: Congress’s failure to win any of the 12 seats it contested marks a significant political setback, particularly in Karnataka. The use of ballot papers has added fresh momentum to the debate over the party’s criticism of EVMs. However, the results alone cannot establish whether either voting method is more reliable.
THE AWX BOTTOM LINE
Congress has emerged from the latest MLC elections without a single victory in the 12 seats it contested, while the BJP-led NDA secured 16 of the 28 seats across four states. The Karnataka results are particularly damaging for Congress, with the BJP-JD(S) alliance winning all four constituencies despite the party being in power in the state.
The outcome has also handed the BJP a fresh opportunity to challenge Congress’s demand for a return to paper ballots. But political arguments should not be mistaken for proof about the integrity of other elections. A party’s performance in one set of constituencies cannot, on its own, settle wider questions about voting technology.
Congress now faces the task of examining its campaign strategy, addressing organisational weaknesses and explaining how it plans to pursue electoral reform. For the BJP, the results provide a political advantage, although the longer-term significance will depend on whether these gains translate into broader electoral support.
The ballot-paper results have intensified the debate. Ultimately, questions about election integrity must be answered through credible evidence and transparent procedures, not simply through the results of a political contest.
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