Congress Draws A Blank In 28 MLC Polls: Karnataka Setback Raises Questions Over Party Organisation

Congress has failed to win any of the four Legislative Council seats in Karnataka where polling took place, giving the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance a sweep and providing the opposition an opportunity to target the ruling party’s organisation. The outcome comes as counting continues across several constituencies in the wider 2026 Legislative Council elections in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The elections cover 28 seats across the four states. While the BJP and its allies have secured key victories in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has also registered wins in Uttar Pradesh, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Jan Suraaj Party and independent candidates have made their presence felt in Bihar. In Maharashtra, counting for all five seats was still underway in the latest available updates on Wednesday, October 28.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took a swipe at the Congress over its performance. In a post on X, he wrote, “MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states - Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?”

The results and trends are not final across all constituencies. However, the Congress’s performance in Karnataka has emerged as a setback for the party, particularly as the BJP and JD(S) won all four seats contested in the state.

Congress Loses All 4 Seats In Karnataka

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which includes the JD(S), has won all four Karnataka Legislative Council seats, according to the latest available results. The BJP secured three seats, while the JD(S) won one.

The JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath defeated Congress veteran and sitting MLC Puttanna in the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency by 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902, with the result handing the JD(S) a seat previously held by the Congress.

The BJP also retained the North-East Teachers’ constituency, where Shashil G Namoshi defeated Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur by 3,297 votes. BJP candidates S V Sankanur and K M Suresh won the West Graduates’ and South-East Graduates’ constituencies, respectively.

The sweep prompted the BJP’s Karnataka unit to take a swipe at Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. “DK, it’s done, bro,” the party posted on X on Wednesday, invoking a viral catchphrase that originated from actor Salman Khan’s post for activist Sonam Wangchuk during student protests in July.

The results are a political setback for the Congress government and its organisational machinery. However, the outcome of these elections should be viewed in the context of the specific electorate involved, rather than as a direct measure of public opinion across Karnataka.

What The Results In Other States Show

The wider MLC elections present a mixed picture for political parties, with the BJP and its allies registering victories in several constituencies while regional parties have also made gains.

In Uttar Pradesh, elections were held for 11 Legislative Council seats, comprising five graduates’ constituencies and six teachers’ constituencies. The BJP has retained key seats in Meerut and Bareilly-Moradabad, while the SP’s victory in the Varanasi Teachers’ constituency has drawn attention because Varanasi is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

Counting was continuing in other constituencies, including the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates’ and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Teachers’ seats, in the latest reports. The contest is being watched ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, although the MLC results alone cannot establish how voters will behave in the Assembly polls.

In Bihar, the teachers’ constituency results have brought a setback for the BJP. RJD candidate Dr Sanjeev Singh won the Patna Teachers’ constituency, defeating BJP candidate Naval Kishore Yadav, who had held the seat for around three decades. Jan Suraaj Party candidate Dr Suresh Rai won the Darbhanga Teachers’ constituency, independent candidate Rahul Raj secured the Saran Teachers’ seat, and BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh won the Tirhut Teachers’ constituency.

Counting for the graduates’ constituencies, including Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi, was still underway in the latest available updates. The final picture in Bihar therefore remained incomplete.

In Maharashtra, polling covered five Legislative Council seats, comprising three graduates’ constituencies and two teachers’ constituencies. Counting was still underway, with the latest trends placing the ruling Mahayuti alliance ahead in three constituencies and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in two. These were trends, not final results.

Why Congress’s Zero-Seat Tally Matters

The Congress’s defeat in all four Karnataka seats raises questions about its ability to mobilise voters in graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies. The loss in Bengaluru Teachers’ is particularly notable because the party’s sitting MLC, Puttanna, was defeated by the JD(S) candidate.

The results also highlight the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s performance in Karnataka. The two parties won all four seats, with the BJP retaining three and the JD(S) wresting the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency from the Congress. The outcome gives the opposition an opportunity to question the Congress’s organisational strength under the state leadership.

The implications for the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, however, remain uncertain. Legislative Council elections in graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies involve a limited electorate and are shaped by local issues and constituency-level political dynamics. Assembly elections, by contrast, involve a much wider electorate across the state.

The Congress’s failure to win a seat in Karnataka is therefore a setback, but it cannot by itself establish the party’s broader standing among voters. Similarly, the BJP and its allies’ wins in some constituencies do not automatically predict Assembly election outcomes.

Across the four states, the MLC elections offer an indication of the parties’ performance among specific electorates. With counting still underway in several constituencies, the overall party-wise picture remains provisional. The final results will provide a clearer account of the gains and losses.