UP MLC polls: BJP wins 5 of 11 seats, SP wins 3; high drama in Agra

The BJP has won five of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats, while the Samajwadi Party secured three, with counting underway in the remaining constituencies, officials said on Wednesday (October 28).

SP wins Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates, BJP bags Agra Graduates

In the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' constituency, Samajwadi Party candidate Mansingh Yadav was declared elected, according to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

In the Agra Graduates' constituency, BJP’s Manvendra Pratap Singh (Guruji) was declared elected.

BJP wins Bareilly-Moradabad and Lucknow Teachers’ seats

The BJP retained the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers' seat, with its candidate Hari Singh Dhillon defeating SP nominee Danish Akhtar by 17,676 votes. Returning Officer and Bareilly Division Commissioner Shambhu Kumar handed over to Dhillon the certificate of election late Tuesday night (October 27). Kumar said Dhillon received 21,672 votes, while Akhtar secured 3,996 votes after all five rounds of counting.

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The BJP also won the Lucknow Teachers' constituency, where its candidate Umesh Dwivedi defeated SP's Sushil Kumar by 6,992 votes. Dwivedi secured 13,179 votes against Kumar's 8,371, according to the results.

Meerut Teachers’ and Graduates’ seats go to BJP

In Meerut, the BJP won both the Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies.

According to an official, BJP candidates Dinesh Kumar Goyal (Meerut Graduates' constituency) and Shri Chand Sharma (Meerut Teachers' constituency) were declared winners, and election certificates were handed over to them.

Dispute in Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers’ seat

In the Gorakhpur-Faizabad division Teachers' constituency, BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi was leading by 466 votes over his rival, independent candidate Rajiv Yadav, after the final round of counting. Tripathi received 11,881 votes, while Rajiv Yadav received 11,415. SP's Sanjayan Tripathi stood third with 8,301 votes.

During the counting for this seat, disputes arose over the margin of votes and the procedures followed. Candidates raised objections after 52 more votes were found in a ballot box from a booth in Mau than what was recorded in the official data.

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Additional Commissioner of Ayodhya Ajay Saini was removed following a complaint by a candidate. The administration asserted that the counting process is being conducted in accordance with the rules.

SP bags Varanasi and Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ seats

The Varanasi Teachers' constituency was won by Samajwadi Party's Lal Bihari Yadav. SP MP from Chandauli Virendra Singh questioned the district administration over an alleged delay of around six hours in announcing the result.

In the Agra-Aligarh Teachers' constituency, SP candidate Akash Agrawal defeated BJP nominee Hari Kishore Tiwari. Agrawal was handed the certificate of election at the counting centre in Agra on Wednesday.

SP chief Akhilesh congratulates successful candidates

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday congratulated the party candidates who won the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections. He urged them to avoid victory processions and instead use social media to communicate their success to people.

"We have to convey this victory to people peacefully through social media. There should be no noise or processions, so that BJP workers cannot infiltrate our ranks and vitiate the atmosphere or accuse us of creating a ruckus," he said.

He said he would personally felicitate all the winners and, if possible, visit their constituencies to honour them.

Alleged assault on SP candidate condemned

Earlier, SP president Akhilesh Yadav claimed victory in the Agra-Aligarh Teachers' constituency and shared on X a video in which Agrawal was seen wearing a torn kurta, with his supporters alleging that he was assaulted.

"Let the BJP explain how the treatment meted out by its people to SP MLC candidate, Akash Agrawal, who is winning from Agra, can be justified," he said.

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The former chief minister urged the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, and the President to take cognisance of the matter immediately. Yadav said the entire society is deeply outraged by such "inhumane treatment" and "violence" against Agrawal.

"Even the Agrawal community has now realised that in truth, the BJP is no one's ally," he claimed.

SP candidates were leading in Varanasi and Lucknow Graduates' constituencies. The counting of votes for the 11 Teachers' and Graduates' constituencies began at 8 am on Tuesday.

Prestige battle

On Friday, voting was held for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, comprising five graduate and six teachers' constituencies.

The MLC polls are being seen as a prestige battle between the ruling BJP and the opposition SP ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Before the polls, the BJP held six of the 11 seats - Agra, Meerut-Saharanpur, and Lucknow Graduates' constituencies and Bareilly-Moradabad, Lucknow, and Meerut-Saharanpur Teachers' constituencies.

While the SP held three - Varanasi and Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates' constituencies and Varanasi Teachers' constituency.

The remaining two seats - Agra and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers' constituencies - were held by Independents.

(With agency inputs)