New Delhi, Oct 23: Voting began on Friday for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra, with the elections being closely watched for their potential political implications in the states.
In Uttar Pradesh, polling is being held for five graduate and six teacher constituencies, while Bihar is witnessing elections for four graduate and four teacher constituencies. The elections in Uttar Pradesh, ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls, are being viewed as a significant political test. In Bihar, the elections are among the first major electoral challenges for the ruling government.
Polling in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar began at 8 a.m. and will continue until 4 p.m. Votes are being cast through ballot papers, and counting is scheduled for October 27.
In Uttar Pradesh, voting for 11 Legislative Council seats began at 8 a.m. Polling is being conducted across 72 districts, excluding Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat and Unnao, and will conclude at 4 p.m.
The five graduate constituencies are Agra, Meerut, Allahabad-Jhansi, Lucknow and Varanasi. The six teacher constituencies are Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, Lucknow, Kashi and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
Of the 11 seats, five are in western Uttar Pradesh, two are in the Lucknow region, one is in Bundelkhand and three are in the Purvanchal region.
A voter in Hardoi praised the arrangements made by the administration. "The administration has made very good arrangements," the voter said.
Samajwadi Party MP Ram Gopal Yadav expressed confidence in his party's prospects, particularly in Aligarh. Speaking about the MLC elections, he said, "Aligarh has the highest number. So, both our candidates will win, the teacher constituency candidate, Akash Agarwal, and the candidate for the Graduates' Constituency seat."
In Bihar, polling is underway for eight Legislative Council seats, comprising four graduate and four teacher constituencies. A total of 150 candidates are in the fray, with approximately 5.32 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots.
The elections are being closely watched, with Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), both part of the opposition alliance, contesting against each other in several constituencies.
The Patna Graduates' constituency has emerged as a key battleground. Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Neeraj Kumar is contesting against Anant Singh, an MLA from Mokama, who has extended his support to Jan Suraaj candidate Anuj Singh.
Neeraj Kumar suffered a cardiac attack a few days ago and was subsequently hospitalised. After being discharged, he is scheduled to cast his vote in Mokama on Friday. He was seen leaving his residence for Mokama while flashing a victory sign.
However, the graduate and teacher constituency elections involve a limited and distinct electorate. Their results may offer insights into political trends, but cannot be considered representative of the preferences of Bihar's entire population.
Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, polling is underway for three graduate and two teacher constituencies of the Legislative Council. A total of 182 candidates are contesting the five seats.
The constituencies going to the polls are Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur among the graduate seats, and Pune and Amravati among the teacher constituencies.
The elections across the four states are being closely monitored as political parties seek to strengthen their positions in the respective Legislative Councils.
--IANS