Samajwadi Party gains in Varanasi teachers seat as BJP holds most Uttar Pradesh MLC constituencies
The Samajwadi Party won the Varanasi teachers constituency and leads in several graduate seats, while the BJP retained most of its seats in the Uttar Pradesh legislative council elections.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) secured a victory in the Varanasi teachers constituency, with candidate Lal Bihari Yadav defeating BJP rival Pramod Mishra by roughly 5,000 votes. Yadav also leads the race for the Varanasi graduates seat, a constituency the party had won in the previous cycle. The result is viewed as a boost for the SP ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath campaigned for BJP candidates across all seats, but the party failed to increase its tally. The BJP retained teachers seats in Lucknow, Meerut, and Bareilly-Moradabad, and won graduate seats in Meerut and Agra. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the party would review the outcome after the SP’s gains in Agra and Lucknow.
SP spokesperson Pooja Shukla said the results provide momentum for the party before the 2027 Assembly polls, noting that incumbent governments usually have an advantage in MLC elections. She also claimed irregularities in the Gorakhpur count, alleging that the BJP’s win there was affected by misconduct.
The counting process saw disputes, including an incident in Agra where SP candidate Akash Agrawal reported being assaulted at the counting centre, a claim denied by BJP workers. In Gorakhpur, the SP announced a boycott over alleged counting irregularities, though these allegations remain unverified.
Overall, the SP’s performance in Varanasi and other constituencies is seen as a challenge to the BJP’s narrative, while the BJP maintains a majority of seats in the 11-seat legislative council election.