Nagpur MLC Election Result Congress Beats BJP by 3,271 Votes

Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari retains Maharashtra's Nagpur Division Graduates' MLC seat, defeating BJP's Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes.

By News National Editorial Team

Congress Retains Nagpur Graduates' MLC Seat, Defeats BJP by 3,271 Votes

NAGPUR, October 29, 2026: Congress candidate and sitting Maharashtra Legislative Council member Abhijeet Wanjari has retained the Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes in a closely contested election.

Wanjari secured 67,231 votes, while Kohale received 63,960, according to reports published after counting concluded in the early hours of Thursday.

The result followed more than 40 hours of counting and a contest in which the lead changed during different stages of the process.

The outcome is a setback for the BJP in Nagpur, a region associated with senior party leaders, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

A closely contested election

The Nagpur Division Graduates' constituency is one of the special constituencies used to elect members to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.

Unlike an ordinary Assembly constituency, the graduates' constituency is intended to represent eligible registered graduate voters. Elections to such constituencies have their own voter-registration and counting procedures.

Wanjari and Kohale remained the principal contenders throughout the count. Reports said Kohale had moved ahead by 4,294 votes after the second round of counting on Wednesday, but the final result favoured Wanjari.

The prolonged counting process reflected the complexity of the election, in which first-preference votes did not immediately produce a candidate who had reached the required quota.

The count subsequently proceeded through the applicable preference-based process before Wanjari was declared the winner.

Vote totals and result

The reported final totals were:

• Abhijeet Wanjari, Congress: 67,231 votes

• Sudhakar Kohale, BJP: 63,960 votes

• Victory margin: 3,271 votes

Independent candidate Nitesh Karale also received a substantial number of votes, according to local reporting.

The narrow margin indicates that the contest remained competitive until the final stages of counting. However, the result should be assessed in the context of the specific graduates' constituency rather than treated as a direct prediction of voting patterns in all of Maharashtra.

Political significance for Maharashtra

The result is politically notable because Nagpur is a significant centre of BJP activity. Senior BJP leaders campaigned for Kohale, making the defeat an important local setback for the party.

For Congress, retaining the seat provides a boost and allows Wanjari to continue representing the constituency in the Legislative Council.

Nevertheless, an individual Legislative Council result does not determine the balance of power in the Maharashtra Assembly. Graduates' constituencies have a distinct electorate, and their results can be influenced by local issues, candidate profiles and the concerns of registered voters.

The outcome may prompt parties to review their campaign strategies and voter outreach in the region.

Wanjari's victory means Congress retains the Nagpur Division Graduates' seat. The result will now become part of the broader political assessment of the parties' organisational strength in Maharashtra.

For voters, the important question is how their elected representative addresses matters relevant to graduates, education, employment and public administration.

The election demonstrates that even constituencies traditionally associated with a particular party can produce closely fought contests when the candidates and campaigns are competitive.

Sources:

• The Indian Express, October 29, 2026: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/maharashtra-mlc-results-congress-abhijeet-wanjari-wins-nagpur-seat-defeats-bjp-10941346/

• The New Indian Express, October 29, 2026: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/maharashtra/2026/Oct/29/in-setback-to-bjp-cong-retains-nagpur-mlc-seat-mva-wins-three-bjp-and-shiv-sena-one-each