The Congress won the Nagpur seat in Maharashtra’s MLC elections, surprising the BJP after ruling party leaders had mocked the opposition for failing to win seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had questioned how many seats Congress won across 28 MLC constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka, highlighting that ballot papers were used. The Nagpur victory gave Congress an opportunity to target Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with the party alleging Fadnavis deleted a boastful social media post. Overall, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) secured three of the five seats contested in Maharashtra, providing the alliance with a boost amid the political exchange.

The BJP maintained its lead in Uttar Pradesh’s Legislative Council elections, while Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) made significant gains ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls. Of the 11 graduates’ and teachers’ seats, results for 10 had been declared by 11:30 pm on Wednesday. The BJP won 6 seats, while the SP secured 4. The SP defeated the BJP in the Lucknow Graduates’ and Agra Teachers’ constituencies and also won Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates. The SP was leading in the remaining Varanasi Graduates’ seat. The results suggest a closer contest between the parties in key constituencies. (PC: NDTV)

The BJP mocked the Congress after the party failed to win any of the 28 Legislative Council seats contested in elections across four states, conducted using ballot papers. The results gave BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an opportunity to challenge Congress allegations of electoral irregularities involving Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Congress has repeatedly demanded the removal of EVMs and a return to paper ballots, questioning their reliability amid the BJP’s recent electoral victories. The party drew a blank in the latest MLC polls, including four seats in Karnataka, where Congress is in power. The outcome intensified political exchanges over voting methods and electoral credibility. (PC: India Today)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a swipe at the Congress on Wednesday after the party failed to win a single seat in the Legislative Council elections across 4 states. Highlighting that the polls were conducted using ballot papers, Modi asked how many seats the Congress had won in contests covering 28 constituencies in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra. He shared the remark on X with a monocle emoji, referring to the party’s repeated demands for ballot paper voting amid allegations of irregularities in electronic voting machines. The results dealt a setback to Congress, particularly in Karnataka. (PC: NDTV)

The Congress suffered a major setback in the Legislative Council elections across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, failing to win any of the 28 seats contested. The biggest blow came in Karnataka, where the BJP-JD(S) alliance swept all 4 seats. The BJP retained 3 constituencies, while the JD(S) defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna in Bengaluru Teachers’ seat by 908 votes. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Samajwadi Party secured wins, while Bihar saw victories for the RJD, BJP, Jan Suraaj Party and an Independent candidate. Counting continued in several constituencies as of October 28. (PC: India Today)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday named Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypoll in Madhya Pradesh. The seat fell vacant after L. Murugan resigned from the Rajya Sabha on October 14. The bypoll will take place on November 12. Candidates can file nominations until November 2, while November 5 is the last date to withdraw nominations. Puri currently serves as the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. He is a former Indian Foreign Service officer and joined the BJP in January 2014. The election process will end by November 16.

Counting of votes for 28 Legislative Council seats across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka began at 8 am on October 27. Polling for the biennial elections was held on October 23, with results expected by Tuesday evening. Uttar Pradesh saw counting for 11 seats, while Bihar had 8 seats at stake. Maharashtra had 5 seats, with 182 candidates in the contest, and Karnataka had 4 seats. The process also faced allegations of irregularities in Bihar, where Jan Suraaj candidate Divya Jyoti questioned the handling of election documents. The Election Commission is overseeing the counting process. (PC: HT)

Uttar Pradesh Police have formed a 3-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a collision involving vehicles travelling behind Rahul Gandhi’s convoy on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur on Monday. The incident occurred while the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was travelling to attend a court hearing in a defamation case. Police said the probe will examine the circumstances leading to the collision, possible security lapses, escort arrangements and traffic management. Inspector General of Police Kiran S will lead the team, which has been directed to submit a detailed report and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents. (PC: HT)

The Congress on October 25 demanded the resignation of Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, dissolution of the state Assembly and fresh elections amid renewed violence. Party leader Saptagiri Ulaka accused the state and central governments of failing to restore peace and protect civilians. He cited the October 19 killing of three Meitei civilians and subsequent protests across five districts. Congress also demanded time-bound investigations into killings and arson, freedom of movement, rehabilitation of displaced families and an inclusive peace process. The ethnic conflict, which began in May 2023, has killed over 300 people. (PC: Reuters)

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday criticised the BJP over allegations of theft involving donations to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Speaking in Patna, Kharge invoked Lord Ram and said he should punish those who allegedly misused wealth donated in his name. The case has triggered a political dispute, with the Congress demanding accountability and a thorough investigation into the temple trust’s finances. Kharge also criticised the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, describing the opposition to it as a “second war of independence”. He urged people in Bihar to support a wider movement against the exercise. (PC: HT)