New Delhi: The recently concluded Legislative Council (MLC) elections across four states saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the single largest party, securing 12 out of 28 seats. Along with its alliance partners, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a total of 15 seats. However, despite this mathematical majority, it is the BJP’s shocking defeats in its traditional strongholds that are dominating political discussions.
The party suffered high-profile losses in major urban centres and political bastions, including Varanasi, Patna, Lucknow, and Nagpur. These defeats are particularly significant as the electorate for these seats primarily comprises graduates and teachers, often regarded as the intellectual and influential class of society.
In Bihar, the BJP faced unexpected setbacks in Patna and Darbhanga. The loss of the Patna Teachers’ constituency was a major blow, as BJP veteran Nawal Kishore Yadav, who held the seat for 30 years, was defeated by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Sanjeev Kumar. In the Darbhanga Graduate constituency, sitting BJP MLC Sarvesh Kumar also lost. These defeats are notable considering BJP National President Nitin Nabin hails from Patna, and State President Sanjay Saraogi is from Darbhanga. Overall, out of eight seats in Bihar, the BJP and RJD won two each.
The situation in Uttar Pradesh mirrored this trend. Although the BJP won six out of 11 seats, the Samajwadi Party (SP) secured five, inflicting heavy damage on the ruling party’s prestige. The BJP lost both seats in Varanasi (Kashi), Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. They also lost one out of two seats in the capital, Lucknow, alongside defeats in Agra and Allahabad. Taking a dig at the ruling party, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav remarked, “The people of Varanasi have given a double zero to the double engine.”
In Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three out of five seats, restricting the NDA to two. A major talking point was the BJP’s loss in the Nagpur Graduate constituency to the Congress. Nagpur is not only the hometown of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, but also the headquarters of the RSS.
The only major silver lining for the BJP came from Karnataka, where the NDA secured a clean sweep. The BJP won three seats and its ally JD(S) won one, handing a humiliating defeat to the ruling Congress party across all four contested seats.