Rajya Sabha and MLC Elections Announced: Voting on October 23, Results on October 27

New Delhi: The electoral process has moved ahead for the elections of graduate and teacher constituencies of the Legislative Council in Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Voting for these seats is proposed on 23 October and counting of votes is proposed on 27 October. After the election schedule is revealed, the activities of candidates and political parties in the respective constituencies are expected to intensify. The Election Commission had already started the process of preparing new voter lists for the respective graduate and teacher seats of these four states.

In which states are these elections to be held?

Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are included in this election. These are not general assembly elections but elections for seats in the Legislative Council that are represented through graduate and teacher constituencies. These constituencies have different eligibility criteria to vote and only eligible voters registered in the respective electoral rolls can vote.

How will voting be held on October 23?

According to the election schedule, voting will take place on October 23. Voting will be conducted only in those constituencies where elections are to be held for the respective council seats. With the election date fixed, the processes like nomination, scrutiny of nomination papers and withdrawal of candidature will proceed as per the schedule of the Commission.

The voter list for graduate and teacher constituencies is also different from the general assembly voter list. The Election Commission had released the process in September 2025 to prepare new voter lists for these seats for the 2026 elections.

When will the result come?

After voting, counting of votes will take place on October 27. The results of the respective seats will be revealed on the same day. The winning candidates will be announced after the counting of votes is completed. With the election results, the new political equation of the respective Legislative Council seats of the four states will also become clear.

How is the selection for graduate and teacher seats different?

There is not the same election for all seats in the Legislative Council. Some members are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, while some seats are voted for by the voters of different constituencies. Graduate and teacher constituencies are part of this system. Information related to graduate and teacher constituencies for the 2026 Legislative Council elections has also been made available on the official election portal of Maharashtra.

What will change after the announcement of elections?

With the announcement of the election schedule, the preparations of the candidates will now intensify. Activities on voter contact, nomination and election strategy will increase in the respective constituencies. However, the scope of these elections is limited compared to assembly elections as voting is limited only to the eligible voters of the designated and registered constituency.

These elections are going to be held in those four states where some regular vacancies of graduate and teacher constituencies of the Legislative Council are to be filled in 2026. The Election Commission had already determined the process of preparing a new voter list for this.