Maharashtra MLC Election Result 2026: MVA Sweeps All Three Graduates’ Seats, Mahayuti Wins Both Teachers’ Constituencies
The Maha Vikas Aghadi won all three graduates’ constituencies while the Mahayuti won both teachers’ seats in the 2026 Maharashtra Legislative Council polls.
Photo: Prashant Nadar / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 29th October 2026: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has won all three graduates’ seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections, while the ruling Mahayuti took both teachers’ seats. Counting in some constituencies went on for more than a day.
Voting took place on October 23, 2026, on ballot papers with preferential voting.
Who won
- Pune Graduates’: Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav, NCP (SP), MVA
- Nagpur Graduates’: Abhijit Wanjari, Congress, MVA
- Marathwada (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) Graduates’: Pratapsinh Patil, NCP (SP), MVA
- Pune Teachers’: Kaustubh Gawade, BJP, Mahayuti
- Amravati Teachers’: Kiran Sarnaik, Shiv Sena, Mahayuti
Graduates’ seats
In Pune Graduates’, Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav beat the BJP’s Smita Jadhav by close to 10,000 votes. The Nagpur result was the tightest: Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari was behind the BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale on first preferences but held on to his seat once lower preferences were counted. In Marathwada, Pratapsinh Patil defeated sitting MLC Satish Chavan, ending Chavan’s run of three straight terms.
Teachers’ seats
In the Pune Teachers’ constituency, the BJP’s Kaustubh Gawade won after 28 rounds, beating Sachin Sanap, an independent backed by the Shiv Sena. Congress’s sitting MLC Jayant Asgaonkar came fourth. In Amravati, Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sarnaik defeated Congress-backed Aditi Pohare.
Reading the result
The electorate in these seats is small and made up of graduates and teachers, so parties tend to see the results as a measure of the mood among the educated middle class. Sweeping the graduates’ seats, including Nagpur, gives the MVA something to celebrate. The Mahayuti, for its part, has held on to teacher voters.
NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil said the opposition tends to win “whenever elections are held through ballot papers”. Kaustubh Gawade struck a different note after his win: “I would not say that I defeated anyone.”
Not sure how these elections work? Our explainer covers what an MLC election is and who can vote.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Pune Graduates’ MLC seat in 2026?
Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav of NCP (SP) won the Pune Graduates’ constituency, defeating BJP’s Smita Jadhav.
Who won the Pune Teachers’ MLC seat?
BJP’s Kaustubh Gawade won the Pune Teachers’ constituency.
How many seats did each alliance win?
The MVA won all three graduates’ seats, and the Mahayuti won both teachers’ seats.
