Nagpur, Oct 2026 : The Congress has won the Nagpur Graduates’ constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, with sitting MLC Abhijeet Wanjari defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes.
According to election officials, Wanjari secured 67,231 votes against Kohale’s 63,960. Independent candidate Nitesh Karale finished third with 24,249 votes.
Kohale had initially established a lead after the second round of counting on Wednesday, receiving 60,924 first-preference votes against Wanjari’s 56,630. However, as no candidate secured the required quota, the counting process moved to second-preference votes. Wanjari subsequently overtook Kohale to clinch the seat.
The result is significant as Nagpur is the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Gadkari had represented the Nagpur Division Graduates’ constituency for several terms. In the previous election, Wanjari defeated BJP candidate Sandip Joshi to win the seat.
The outcome has also added a new dimension to the political debate over electronic voting machines (EVMs) and ballot papers. The BJP has cited the Legislative Council election results across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka to challenge Congress’ allegations of electoral irregularities involving EVMs and its demand for a return to paper ballots.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also commented on the elections in a post on X, referring to the polling held for 28 Legislative Council seats across the four states.
“MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Karnataka. Elections were held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” Modi wrote.
The BJP has used the results to question Congress’ position on the electoral process, arguing that the party’s performance in ballot-paper elections should also be considered in the debate. Congress, meanwhile, has repeatedly raised concerns about the reliability of EVMs and advocated restoring paper ballots.
Wanjari’s victory in Nagpur adds to the political contest between the BJP and Congress in Maharashtra, while the wider results have renewed their disagreement over electoral procedures and voting systems.
