Maharashtra MLC election: Congress trumps BJP in Nagpur, MVA leads 3-2 in State

Sitting MLC Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes.

Congress trumped the Bharatiya Janata Party in Nagpur during the Legislative Council elections in Maharashtra. Of the five graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies which went to the polls, theOpposition alliance of Maha Vikas Aghadi won three seats.

In the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Sharad Pawar’s NCP SP won two of the three seats, while Congress won the prestigious battle of Nagpur. The ruling Mahayuti alliance secured two seats. This is the second time the Congress has defeated the BJP on its home turf of Nagpur, the seat of the RSS headquarters. The party had guarded the seat for 58 years before losing it to Congress for the first time in the year 2020.

While the NCP SP called for going back to ballot papers for holding elections, the BJP called for introspection among the alliance partners. The election results have caused an embarrassment for the ruling alliance of Mahayuti.

Congress’ sitting MLC Abhijeet Wanjari secured 67,231 votes, while the BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale secured 63,960 votes. “It is not always the strength which helps you win you elections. Sometimes, an idea works better. Shaktipeksha yukti shreshtha (An idea is stronger than might). We strategised well,” Mr. Wanjari said after being elected.

“The illusionary bubble of Modi and Fadnavis has burst. MVA has registered a resounding victory in three seats in the Legislative Council elections,” Maharashtra Congress president Harshawardhan Sapkal posted. He said that despite having money and muscle power, the BJP stood defeated.

“In the city of RSS headquarters Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the Congress has defeated the BJP for the second consecutive term,” he said.

NCP SP leader Supriya Sule congratulated the party’s victorious candidate Harshada Deshmukh Jadhav by performing a ceremonial blessing by waving aarti lamp around her.

On Thursday (October 29, 2026), the opposition hit out at the BJP over its “arrogance” and “overconfidence”. It targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over a deleted post on X, which had responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post asking how many seats Congress had won in the elections held on ballot paper.

“Since the ballot paper has shown what the Honourable Prime Minister says, then our country should now move back to the voting system of using ballot papers. Requesting PM Modi ji must make a move in that direction,” NCP SP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said.

NCP SP leaders Rohit Pawar and Mr. Crastro shared screenshots of the allegedly deleted post of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying it reeked of arrogance. “Our party wins two, and Congress wins one MLC seat in Maharashtra. MVA gets three of five; arrogance and overconfidence caused Mr. Devendra Fadnavis and Mahayuti grave embarrassment. Reminder to BJP leaders, these elections were held using ‘Ballot Papers’,” posted Mr. Crasto.

NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar said it was sad that the CM had to delete his post. He said there was a message for the BJP in these election results, particularly in Nagpur. “You had personally paid attention to the Nagpur graduates’ constituency election. You had gone door-to-door to convince rebels to withdraw from the polls. This is in Nagpur, in the headquarters of the RSS that the BJP had to see defeat,” he said, adding that the “ego of power” in CM’s deleted post did not reflect well.