MLC poll results spark Mahayuti rift, Akhilesh claims BJP faces crisis in UP

The Legislative Council election results across four states triggered political tensions within Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance on Thursday, with the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP exchanging accusations over electoral setbacks, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed his party's performance in Uttar Pradesh had exposed deep divisions within the BJP.

Elections to 28 Legislative Council seats in Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were held on October 23. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured 16 seats, while the Samajwadi Party won five, the NCP (SP) two, and the Congress, RJD and Jan Suraaj Party one each. Two Independent candidates emerged victorious in Bihar.

Despite the NDA's overall lead, the results generated political friction in Maharashtra, where the ruling Mahayuti managed to win only two seats against three secured by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

𝗕𝗝𝗣 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘃 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The Maharashtra BJP accused its ally Shiv Sena of failing to honour coalition commitments in the Pune and Nagpur constituencies.

BJP chief spokesperson Navnath Ban alleged that the Shiv Sena's last-minute support to Independent candidate Sachin Sanap in the Pune teachers' constituency had weakened the alliance's electoral prospects.

Ban also accused Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar of campaigning against the NCP in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, contributing to the ruling alliance's setbacks.

Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane questioned whether individuals within the Mahayuti were working against the coalition's interests.

"It is time to find out whether there are any 'Shakuni mamas' within Mahayuti who follow the scripts that (Shiv Sena-UBT chief) Uddhav Thackeray likes," Rane said.

The remarks reflected growing disagreements among the alliance partners following their disappointing performance in the state.

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝘃 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗖𝗠 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

Amid the political exchanges, Shiv Sena leader and former MLA Ravindra Dhangekar demanded a change in Maharashtra's leadership, suggesting that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde should replace Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister.

The demand added another dimension to the disagreements within the ruling coalition, which has faced questions over coordination during the Legislative Council elections.

Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Sunetra Pawar said her party would examine the reasons behind its performance.

Senior NCP leader and minister Chhagan Bhujbal also called for serious introspection by both the party and the Mahayuti alliance.

Bhujbal said the electorate in these constituencies comprised educated and politically aware voters whose changing preferences required attention.

He cautioned that the NCP appeared to be losing support among such voters and that their political views could influence wider public opinion.

𝗔𝗸𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗨𝗣 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀

In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav celebrated his party's victories in the Varanasi Graduates' and Lucknow Graduates' constituencies, whose results were officially declared on Thursday.

Describing the BJP's performance as a "double defeat", Yadav said the outcome would strengthen the Samajwadi Party's preparations for the 2027 Assembly elections.

He maintained that the verdict reflected dissatisfaction among teachers, students and unemployed graduates with the BJP government's policies.

Yadav said the BJP's defeat "was the defeat of its policies concerning teachers, students and education" and that educated unemployed graduates had also registered their opposition.

He claimed that the government's policies had alienated different social groups and brought together those dissatisfied with its functioning.

The SP chief further alleged that the results had created an existential crisis within the BJP and intensified internal differences within the ruling party.

"None of our candidates has actually lost; they just could not win in the face of the BJP's manipulation," Yadav claimed, maintaining that his party regarded its candidates as winners even where they had not secured victory certificates.

His allegations of electoral manipulation were not accompanied by evidence in the reported remarks.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗶

The Congress, which secured just one seat across the four states, criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mocking its electoral performance despite the elections being conducted through paper ballots.

Modi had on Wednesday targeted the Congress over its poor showing, referring to the opposition party's repeated demands for ballot-paper voting instead of Electronic Voting Machines.

Following Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari's victory in the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency early Thursday, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh urged the Prime Minister to examine the BJP's own setbacks.

"The Prime Minister needs to introspect, but instead, he's sermonising others! Before counting Congress's seats, I wish he'd also reflect on why the BJP lost both seats in his own parliamentary constituency of Varanasi, and how Congress managed to defeat the BJP in RSS's stronghold of Nagpur," Ramesh said in a post on X.

He accused the government of failing to adequately address inflation, unemployment and weak private investment.

"Mr. Modi, stop the trolling. Crores of families are reeling from back-breaking inflation, the youth are unemployed, and private investment has ground to a halt," he said.

Ramesh also urged Modi to abandon what he described as arrogance and focus on economic challenges facing ordinary citizens.

"From Varanasi and Nagpur to Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Patna, the people have clearly passed a no-confidence motion against your policies," he claimed.

𝗝𝗗(𝗨) 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

The JD(U), a constituent of the NDA, also targeted the Congress over its performance in the Legislative Council elections.

Party national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan Prasad pointed out that the elections had been conducted using paper ballots, a system repeatedly advocated by the Congress in its criticism of EVM-based voting.

"These MLC elections to 28 seats were held using ballot papers. However, if one looks at the results in these four states, the Congress could barely manage to win a seat, in Nagpur," Prasad said.

He urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to reconsider the party's electoral strategy and concentrate on public concerns rather than repeatedly questioning the Election Commission and the voting system.

The contrasting reactions underscored how the Legislative Council results, despite the NDA's overall numerical advantage, have generated fresh political arguments within the ruling alliance and between the government and opposition parties ahead of upcoming electoral contests.