Uttar Pradesh MLC election results: SP wins 5 seats, Opposition claims defeat of BJP’s anti-education policies

The Samajwadi Party (SP) secured five of the 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council (MLC) seats, the results of which were published on October 29, 2026. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won six seats. Polling for these seats was conducted on October 23, with vote counting commencing at 8 am on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, and concluding on Wednesday evening, October 28, 2026.

Opposition leaders, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and the INDIA bloc, have interpreted these results as a defeat for the BJP’s anti-teacher and anti-education policies, signaling growing public discontent with the BJP government. The MLC elections for graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies are often considered indicators of public sentiment among educated voters and educators.

Election Outcome and Opposition Claims

The Samajwadi Party’s victory in five seats marks an increase from the three seats it won in the previous Council election held in 2020. Conversely, the BJP maintained its tally of six seats from the 2020 elections, where independent candidates had secured two seats. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that the BJP’s defeat in these elections has set the stage for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for 2027. He further claimed that the six seats won by the BJP were secured through fraud and manipulation, citing the BJP’s loss in Varanasi after both initial counting and a recount.

Congress national secretary Shahnawaz Alam alleged that the administration delayed counting on several seats, including Varanasi and Gorakhpur, and stated that the Opposition’s victory signals resentment against the BJP even among its core support base. UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam claimed the BJP would have lost all seats if elections had been fair. Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya acknowledged that the BJP had largely repeated its previous performance but had hoped to win more seats, stating the party would introspect.

Key Victories and Losses

The Samajwadi Party secured significant victories, wresting the Lucknow graduate seat from the BJP and the Agra teachers’ seat, which was previously held by an independent candidate who later shifted allegiance to the BJP. The SP also won the Varanasi division Teachers seat, the Varanasi Division Graduates’ seat, and the Jhansi-Prayagraj Graduates’ seat. Notably, Varanasi is represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha, and Lucknow by defence minister Rajnath Singh.

The BJP, despite winning six seats overall, faced setbacks in strongholds such as Varanasi, Lucknow, Jhansi, and the Agra region. The party won the Gorakhpur-Faizabad teachers’ seat by a narrow margin, a region considered Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s stronghold. Tense scenes, including clashes between BJP and SP supporters, were reported at counting centres in Agra, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi on Tuesday night.

Political Implications and Future Outlook

The Opposition INDIA bloc stated that the outcome was a defeat of the ruling BJP’s anti-teacher and anti-education policies, and marks growing public discontent with the BJP government despite what they described as massive administrative support for BJP candidates. Akhilesh Yadav used the term ‘double defeat of the double engine’ to describe the results, referring to the BJP’s governance at both central and state levels. He also highlighted the growing support for the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) grouping, claiming it has reached 95 percent.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak stated that BJP workers reached out to voters and won seats, asserting that the BJP is poised to form its third consecutive government in the state with a full majority after the 2027 UP assembly polls. The BJP had hoped to use any gains in the council election to counter the Opposition narrative of dissatisfaction among the youth, the Ram temple donation theft controversy, upper caste anger over UGC guidelines, and Opposition accusations of manipulation in EVMs. The BJP’s performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha election saw its Uttar Pradesh tally fall to 33 from 62 in 2019.

Further reading

• NMMS 2026 question papers out for Uttar Pradesh, Kerala exam on 7 November
• NMMS question papers 2026 available for download, including Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
• NMMS Uttar Pradesh 2026 exam on 01 November: download question papers for scholarship
• Moral education to be part of school syllabus from next academic session in Himachal Pradesh

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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