Politics1 min read

MLC polls: BJP wins big, but Congress & SP send a message from Nagpur, Varanasi

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance captured double-digit seats across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, including a clean sweep of all four contests in Karnataka. Despite this aggregate success, the ruling coalition dropped high-profile races to the Congress and Samajwadi Party in Nagpur and Varanasi. The Maha Vikas Aghadi also managed to edge out the ruling alliance in Maharashtra by claiming three of five seats.

Key points

  • Opposition parties managed to challenge the ruling party by securing victories in promine…: Opposition parties managed to challenge the ruling party by securing victories in prominent leadership strongholds.
  • A clean sweep in Karnataka allowed ruling leaders to challenge previous opposition claims…: A clean sweep in Karnataka allowed ruling leaders to challenge previous opposition claims regarding voting integrity.
  • Strategic setbacks in symbolic constituencies provided opposition leaders with evidence t…: Strategic setbacks in symbolic constituencies provided opposition leaders with evidence to dispute the ruling party's total dominance.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

BJP's big win in MLC elections comes with setbacks in Nagpur and Varanasi

The MLC elections across four states brought both shock and cheer for the BJP and Congress. While the Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in Karnataka, where it is in power but failed to win a single seat, the BJP faltered in two constituencies which mattered the most. One being Nagpur, which is home to the RSS headquarters, and Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency.The BJP nevertheless emerged as the largest party, winning 13 of the 28 seats contested, while its allies took the NDA's tally to 16. The alliance swept all four seats in Karnataka, won six of the 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh and secured four of the eight seats in Bihar. In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti won two of the five seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi secured three.The Congress's only victory came from Nagpur, a political stronghold of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party retained the Varanasi Teachers' constituency and was heading…

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