Vote Counting Underway for Five Maharashtra Legislative Council Seats

Counting of votes began on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, for five seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, featuring a high-stakes contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. Election officials oversaw the process at counting centers, including Lokshahi Bhavan in Amravati, following polls that were conducted on October 23 and recorded a voter turnout of 72.96 percent.

The election involved five specific constituencies: Pune Graduates', Nagpur Graduates', Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates', Pune Teachers', and Amravati Teachers'. These polls became necessary because the terms of the sitting members for these particular legislative council seats are scheduled to conclude on December 6. Both major political groupings, the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA, contested every single one of the five seats available.

A total of 182 candidates participated in the election race, with both political camps experiencing internal rebellion. Within the Mahayuti alliance, the BJP fielded nominees for the Nagpur Graduates', Pune Teachers', and Pune Graduates' seats. The NCP contested the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' seat, while the Shiv Sena fought for the Amravati Teachers' seat and also backed an independent candidate in the Pune Teachers' constituency in opposition to the official BJP candidate.

Specific matchups featured sitting MLC Kiran Sarnaik running on a Shiv Sena ticket against Congress candidate Aditi Pohare in Amravati, and BJP nominee Smita Jadhav facing NCP (SP) candidate Harshada Deshmukh in Pune Graduates. In Pune Teachers, the BJP put forward Kaustubh Gawde against sitting Congress MLC Jayant Asgaonkar. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, NCP sitting MLC Satish Chavan faced NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsinh Patil. In Nagpur Graduates, sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari faced BJP nominee Sudhakar Kohale, where a BJP rebel had previously withdrawn and extended support.