SP candidates lead in Varanasi MLC seats, BJP-backed candidate ahead in Bihar

Counting is underway for 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka, with initial trends indicating leads for Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates in two key constituencies in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and a close contest in Bihar's Tirhut Teachers’ MLC constituency.

SP candidates Ashutosh Sinha and Lal Bihari Yadav were leading in the Varanasi Graduates’ and Teachers’ MLC constituencies, respectively, according to the initial counting trends. In Bihar, meanwhile, NDA-backed BJP candidate Narendra Prasad Singh was ahead after the second round of counting in the Tirhut Teachers’ MLC constituency.

BJP-backed candidate leads in Bihar's Tirhut constituency

The Tirhut Teachers’ MLC seat is witnessing a triangular contest, with Narendra Prasad Singh holding a narrow lead over his rivals after the second round of counting.

Singh had secured 1,872 votes, putting him 159 votes ahead of Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate Sanjay Singh, who had polled 1,713 votes.

Independent candidate Bhushan Jha was in third place with 1,650 votes, remaining within close range of both leading candidates. The relatively narrow gap among the three candidates indicated a competitive contest as counting progressed.

SP's Lal Bihari Yadav leads in Varanasi Teachers’ MLC seat

In Uttar Pradesh, SP candidate and incumbent MLC Lal Bihari Yadav was leading in the Varanasi Teachers’ MLC constituency, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Pramod Mishra was trailing in the initial trends.

The first round of counting for the Teachers’ MLC seat covered 1,000 votes each across 14 tables. The early trends showed Yadav ahead of Mishra as the counting process continued.

SP candidate Ashutosh Sinha was also leading in the Varanasi Graduates’ MLC constituency, according to the initial figures.

Counting underway across four states

The counting exercise covers 28 seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The initial trends provide an early indication of the contests, but the leads may change as additional rounds of counting are completed.

In Varanasi, the early advantage for the two SP candidates placed the party ahead in both the Graduates’ and Teachers’ MLC constituencies. In Bihar's Tirhut Teachers’ MLC seat, the contest remained close, with the BJP-backed candidate leading the CPI nominee and the independent candidate trailing by a relatively small margin.

The final outcome of the contests will become clearer as counting progresses and further results are declared.