Nagpur Graduates’ Result: Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari Retains Seat By 3,271 Votes After Overtaking BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale
Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari retained the Nagpur Graduates’ MLC seat by 3,271 votes, overtaking BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale in the second-preference count.
Photo: Ganesh Dhamodkar / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nagpur, 29th October 2026: Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari has held on to the Nagpur Graduates’ seat, beating the BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes after a count that went on for hours and swung back and forth.
Wanjari finished with 67,231 votes and Kohale with 63,960. Polling was on October 23.
How the lead flipped
At one stage, reports said Kohale was ahead by more than 4,000 votes. The picture changed once second-preference votes from eliminated candidates were transferred, and Wanjari moved ahead. Some reports said the whole count took over 40 hours.
That’s how preferential voting works in these seats. If no one reaches the quota on first preferences, the lowest-placed candidates are eliminated one at a time and their ballots go to the next name the voter marked. A candidate who trails early can still finish on top, which is exactly what happened here.
Some early reports showed Kohale leading before the final result was declared. The declared result is a win for Wanjari.
Why it matters
Nagpur is widely seen as BJP territory, so losing here has been described as a setback for the party on home ground. Wanjari’s win completes a clean sweep of all three graduates’ seats for the Maha Vikas Aghadi, along with Pune and Marathwada.
See the full Maharashtra MLC election results 2026, or read our explainer on how MLC elections work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Nagpur Graduates’ MLC election 2026?
Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari won, defeating BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale.
What was the winning margin in Nagpur Graduates’?
3,271 votes. Wanjari got 67,231 votes and Kohale got 63,960, according to reports.
Why did counting take so long?
Graduates’ elections use ballot papers and preferential voting, so votes of eliminated candidates are transferred in multiple rounds until a candidate reaches the quota.
