The biennial elections for these Graduate and Teacher constituencies across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, and Maharashtra were held via ballot papers on October 23, 2026, with counting beginning on October 27, 2026.NEW DELHI: Congress faced a major setback in the legislative council elections on Wednesday, failing to secure a victory in the seats declared so far across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, even as counting continued in several constituencies.The BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all four seats in Karnataka, where the ruling Congress drew a blank despite having a majority in the state Assembly. The BJP retained three constituencies, while the JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from the Congress.In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Samajwadi Party (SP) registered wins, while in Bihar, Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party opened its legislative council account by defeating the Congress. The RJD also scored a victory in Bihar, wresting the Patna Teachers’ seat from the BJP.Counting for 28 legislative council seats across Uttar Pradesh (11), Bihar (8), Maharashtra (5) and Karnataka (4) began on Tuesday following polling on October 23. The elections were held for graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, with results declared for several seats and counting continuing in others.Karnataka (4 seats): BJP-JD(S) alliance sweeps all four, Congress draws blankThe BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all four legislative council seats in Karnataka, dealing a setback to the ruling Congress.The BJP retained the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, while its ally JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ seat from the Congress.JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes in Bengaluru Teachers’. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902.BJP’s Shashil G Namoshi retained North-East Teachers’ by 3,297 votes, securing his fifth victory from the constituency with 15,596 votes against Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur’s 12,299.In South-East Graduates’, BJP candidate K M Suresh defeated Congress nominee Shashi Hulikunte Mutt by 23,098 votes. Sitting BJP MLC S V Sankanur retained West Graduates’, defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai by 9,323 votes.The results marked a clean sweep for the opposition alliance, with the Congress failing to win a single seat despite campaigning by chief minister D K Shivakumar, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and other senior leaders.However, the results are not expected to affect the stability of the Congress government or significantly alter the balance of power in the 75-member Legislative Council.Uttar Pradesh (11 seats): BJP wins four seats, SP secures twoThe BJP won four of the 11 Uttar Pradesh legislative council seats, while the SP secured two, according to the latest confirmed results.The BJP retained the Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers’ seat, where Hari Singh Dhillon defeated SP’s Danish Akhtar by 17,676 votes. It also won the Lucknow Teachers’ seat, with Umesh Dwivedi defeating SP candidate Sushil Kumar by 6,992 votes. The party also won both the Meerut Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies.The SP won the Varanasi Teachers’ seat through Lal Bihari Yadav and the Agra-Aligarh Teachers’ seat, where Akash Agrawal defeated BJP nominee Hari Kishore Tiwari.In the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’ constituency, SP candidate Mansingh Yadav secured 27,157 votes after the fifth round, against BJP candidate Ashok Rathore’s 7,648. SP candidates were also leading in the Varanasi and Lucknow Graduates’ constituencies.BJP candidate Manvendra Singh was leading in the Agra-Aligarh Graduates’ constituency.In the Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers’ seat, BJP candidate Dhruv Kumar Tripathi received 11,881 votes against independent candidate Rajiv Yadav’s 11,415 after the final round, though disputes arose over the counting process. The SP alleged irregularities and boycotted the counting process.Meanwhile, an additional commissioner was removed following a candidate’s complaint after 52 more votes were found in a ballot box from Mau than recorded in the official data.Bihar (8 seats): Jan Suraaj opens account, RJD defeats BJP veteranThe Bihar legislative council elections delivered several upsets, with the BJP, RJD, Jan Suraaj Party and an Independent winning one Teachers’ constituency each.Jan Suraaj Party candidate Suresh Prasad Rai defeated sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha by 324 votes in the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, officials said on Wednesday. The victory marked the party’s first win in the Bihar Legislative Council.BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh won the Tirhut Teachers’ seat, defeating independent candidate Bhushan Kumar Jha.In another major result, RJD candidate Dr Sanjeev Kumar defeated the BJP’s veteran MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav in the Patna Teachers’ constituency, ending his long hold on the seat.Independent candidate Rahul Raj also defeated sitting MLC Afaq Ahmed in the Saran Teachers’ constituency.Meanwhile, JD(U)’s Neeraj Kumar was leading RJD candidate Dilip Rai in Patna Graduates’, with reports indicating a victory for the JD(U) leader, although the official result was awaited in the latest update.Counting continued in the remaining Graduates’ constituencies.The polls will decide the fate of 90 candidates in four graduates’ constituencies and 60 candidates in four teachers’ constituencies. Turnout stood at 82.85% in teachers’ constituencies and 53.42% in graduates’ seats.Maharashtra (5 seats): BJP's Sudhakar Kohale leads Congress in NagpurCounting continued for five Maharashtra legislative council seats, with BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale leading sitting Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjari by 4,294 votes in the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency after the second round.Join conversationShare your thoughts in the commentsBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesKohale secured 60,924 votes against Wanjari’s 56,630, while independent candidate Nitesh Karale received 24,249 votes. A total of 15,106 votes were declared invalid.None of the candidates had reached the winning quota of 75,438 votes, with the final outcome dependent on further counting and the transfer of preferential votes.In the Amravati Teachers’ constituency, Shiv Sena candidate Kiran Sarnaik was also leading as counting continued.The polls, held on October 23, saw 182 candidates contesting across three graduates’ and two teachers’ constituencies. The results are being watched amid rebel candidates, alliance differences and efforts by the BJP-led Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi to consolidate support.The terms of the sitting members are due to end on December 6, and the election process is scheduled to be completed by October 31.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.