The biggest setback came in Karnataka, where the BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance won all four seats, including one previously held by a sitting Congress MLC.

The result has raised questions about the ruling party's organisational strength and its ability to mobilise support among graduates and teachers despite controlling the state government.

The results, declared or emerging as counting continued on October 28, offer a mixed picture across the four states.

Although these elections involve a restricted electorate and are not a direct reflection of wider public sentiment, the Congress's failure to secure a single seat presents a difficult political outcome for the party.

BJP-JD(S) sweep deals Congress a blow in Karnataka

Karnataka's results stand out because the Congress is the ruling party in the state, having formed the government in 2023.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance's clean sweep has put the spotlight on the Congress government's performance, its grassroots organisation and its campaign among registered graduates and teachers.

The outcome is also a setback for Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has played a prominent role in the party's organisational activities and election campaigns in Karnataka.

The MLC elections, held on October 23, tested the ruling party's ability to mobilise voters beyond the Assembly electorate.

Shivakumar had directed ministers to campaign in the constituencies, underlining the importance the Congress attached to the contest.

The most significant defeat for the party came in the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency, where JD(S) candidate AP Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes.

Ranganath secured 10,810 votes, against Puttanna's 9,902, wresting the seat from the Congress.

The defeat was notable because the Congress lost a constituency it had previously held, while the BJP and JD(S) demonstrated their ability to coordinate effectively against the ruling party.

The alliance also retained its advantage in the other three constituencies.

Shashil G Namoshi won the North-East Teachers' seat, SV Sankanur secured the West Graduates' constituency, and KM Suresh won the South-East Graduates' seat.

Namoshi's victory was particularly significant because the constituency includes Kalaburagi, the home region of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.

The BJP's Karnataka unit leaders described the outcome as a rejection of what they called "corruption, irregularities and unfulfilled promises".

For the Congress, the results raise questions about whether its electoral mandate and welfare guarantees have translated into support among organised professional groups.

The outcome also gives the BJP-JD(S) alliance a morale boost as Karnataka moves towards its next Assembly election, scheduled for 2028.

Union Minister and JD(S) chief HD Kumaraswamy welcomed the alliance's performance and portrayed the sweep as a mandate for 2028, projecting it as evidence of the coalition's growing political strength.

The MLC results do not pose an immediate threat to the Congress government's survival. Nor do they constitute a referendum on the entire state's political preferences.

However, losing all four seats allows the opposition alliance to challenge the ruling party's organisational effectiveness and present itself as a credible alternative.

Congress fails to win seats in three other states

The Congress's poor performance extended beyond Karnataka, with the party also failing to secure a seat in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.

The political circumstances differ across these states, where regional parties, alliances and the strength of individual candidates play important roles.

In Uttar Pradesh, 11 seats were contested, with the BJP and Samajwadi Party emerging as the principal contenders in several constituencies.

The BJP retained seats in Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Lucknow, while the Samajwadi Party won the Varanasi Teachers' constituency and the Agra Teachers' seat.

Counting remained underway in several constituencies at the time of publication. The emerging results indicated a strong BJP position in parts of the state, alongside gains for the Samajwadi Party in important contests.

The Congress's absence from the list of winners adds to its difficulties in a state where it has struggled to establish itself as a major electoral force.

PK's Jan Suraaj wins first Bihar council seat

Bihar's eight-seat contest produced a more fragmented outcome, with victories spread across established parties and an independent candidate.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the Patna Teachers' constituency, while the BJP secured the Tirhut Teachers' seat.

The Jan Suraaj Party (JSP), founded by political strategist Prashant Kishor, registered its first Legislative Council victory in Darbhanga.

Independent candidate Rahul Raj won the Saran Teachers' constituency.

The Jan Suraaj Party's victory came at the expense of sitting Congress MLC Madan Mohan Jha, adding to the Congress's difficulties in the state.

Counting for the graduates' constituencies was still underway at the time of publication, leaving the final picture incomplete.

The emerging results nevertheless highlighted the varied electoral dynamics shaping the contest in Bihar.

For the Congress, the loss of a seat held by one of its sitting members was another setback in an election in which it failed to secure a victory across the four states.

Maharashtra counting continues amid alliance contest

In Maharashtra, five seats were contested, with counting continuing at the time of publication.

The election featured the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Emerging trends indicated that the BJP-led Mahayuti was gaining ground as the counting process continued.

The outcome, however, remained pending as the results were being compiled.

The Congress's inability to win a seat in Maharashtra added to its disappointing overall tally, although the state's results were not yet final.

Why the 28 MLC seats matter

The 28 Legislative Council seats cannot be directly compared with Assembly constituencies.

Graduates' and teachers' constituencies have a limited electorate comprising registered voters from specific professional categories.

These elections use ballot papers and preferential voting, making candidate-level networks, personal outreach and the transfer of preferences important factors in determining the outcome.

The nature of the electorate means that the results do not necessarily reflect voting preferences across the wider population.

A party's defeat in these constituencies does not automatically indicate a similar decline in support among all voters.

However, the Congress's failure to win any of the 28 seats remains a setback, particularly because the party lost all four Karnataka constituencies while governing the state.

The Karnataka outcome also underlines the importance of opposition coordination.

The BJP and JD(S) contested the four seats as allies, with the BJP winning three and the JD(S) securing the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency.

While the ongoing counts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra could affect the final state-wise picture, the Karnataka results have already delivered a clear blow to the Congress.

The loss of all four seats, including one previously held by a Congress MLC, has given the BJP-JD(S) alliance a political advantage as it looks ahead to the 2028 Assembly election.