Polling began at 8 am on Friday for biennial elections to the Legislative Councils in Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, with voting being held across Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the elections following the completion of the terms of sitting members in the respective constituencies. According to the Commission, the terms of eight members in Bihar, four in Karnataka, five in Maharashtra and 11 in Uttar Pradesh are coming to an end.
Polling in all four states will continue until 4 pm on Friday. The counting of votes is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, while the entire election process is expected to be completed by October 31.
In Bihar, elections are being held in four Graduates’ constituencies, Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi, and four Teachers’ constituencies—Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran. The terms of the sitting members in these eight constituencies will expire on November 16.
In Karnataka, voting is taking place in two Graduates’ constituencies, Karnataka South-East and Karnataka West, and two Teachers’ constituencies, Karnataka North-East and Bangalore. The terms of the sitting members in these four constituencies will end on November 11.
In Maharashtra, the three Graduates’ constituencies are Aurangabad Division, Pune Division and Nagpur Division, while the two Teachers’ constituencies are Amravati Division and Pune Division. The terms of the sitting members in these five constituencies will expire on December 6, 2026.
In Uttar Pradesh, polling is being held in five Graduates’ constituencies, Lucknow Division, Varanasi Division, Agra Division, Meerut Division and Allahabad-Jhansi Division, and six Teachers’ constituencies, Lucknow Division, Varanasi Division, Agra Division, Meerut Division, Bareilly-Moradabad Division and Gorakhpur-Faizabad Division. The terms of the sitting members in these 11 constituencies will expire on December 6.
The elections are being conducted to fill the vacancies arising from the completion of the current members’ tenures. The results will determine the new representatives of the respective Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies in the four states.