The Congress has failed to win any of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, with the results delivering a significant setback in Karnataka, where the party is in power. The BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance won all four seats in the state, including one previously held by a Congress legislator.
The Karnataka results have raised questions about the Congress government’s organisational strength and its ability to mobilise support among graduates and teachers, who form the electorate for these constituencies. The elections were held on October 23, with counting and results emerging on October 27 and 28.
The biggest setback came in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency, where JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902, wresting the seat from Congress.
The BJP retained its advantage in the other three constituencies. Shashil G Namoshi won the North-East Teachers’ seat, SV Sankanur secured the West Graduates’ constituency, and KM Suresh won the South-East Graduates’ seat. Namoshi’s victory was notable because his constituency includes Kalaburagi, the home region of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
The outcome is a setback for Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has played a prominent role in the party’s Karnataka organisation. The BJP-JD(S) alliance has portrayed the results as evidence of its ability to challenge the ruling party ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
Congress also failed to secure seats in the other three states, although the electoral dynamics differed across constituencies. In Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, BJP, Jan Suraaj Party and an Independent candidate secured victories in different seats. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Samajwadi Party were the principal contenders, while counting continued in several constituencies across the states.
The MLC elections involve a restricted electorate of registered graduates and teachers, meaning the results do not directly reflect statewide public sentiment. Nevertheless, Congress’s failure to win any of the contested seats highlights organisational challenges, particularly in Karnataka, where it governs.
Source: India Today, India Today News Desk
